The Roman settlement site of Leithaprodersdorf

In the past, archaeological research of the Roman remains in the north-western part of the province of Upper Pannonia, today`s Eastern Austria, has mostly concentrated on investigations of the Roman military border along the Danube and related settlement structures. In contrast, the scientific examination of Roman remains in the rural hinterland of the border region can be described as deficient. We know from gravestones that numerous settlers of Celtic and Germanic origin must have lived in the rural areas of the province. However, we know little about their settlement structures and how or from when on an adaptation to a Roman way of life took place. For several reasons, the archaeological investigation of the settlement site at Leithaprodersdorf is particularly suitable for gaining knowledge about the settlement and population structures of the Roman hinterland. Between 2005 and 2015, a Roman cemetery near Leithaprodersdorf was excavated on a large scale together with several construction phases of the associated settlement. The cemetery has already been scientifically evaluated. It became clear that the burial site was very local or indigenous, especially in the beginning. By analysing the settlement, a comparison with the cemetery can now be made. Questions about the chronological beginning of the settlement and about the house and settlement structures and their change from the 1st to the 4th century AD will be investigated. The analysis of the cemetery revealed, for example, that typical Roman tomb monuments were only erected after the burial ground had been in existence for about 50 years. Also other distinctly Roman objects, such as a certain type of ceramic (Terra Sigillata) were only used in the cemetery comparatively late. Since the delayed occurrence of certain finds and building types may have had not only socio-cultural but also contextual and/or trade-historical reasons, these particularities will be investigated in the research project in addition to a detailed analysis of the building types. Moreover, the overall extent of the settlement will be assessed by the evaluation of aerial photographs in cooperation with the Aerial Photo Archive of the Institute for Prehistory and Historical Archeology at the University of Vienna. The coins from the settlement will be evaluated in the department Documenta Antiqua at the Institute for the Study of Ancient Culture. Of particular importance for the project is the analysis of the animal bones by the Natural History Museum in Vienna. Since the spectrum of animal breeds and the growth sizes of certain animals were often affected by Roman influence after the conquest of a province, a change from native to "imported" animal breeds is also assumed for Leithaprodersdorf. Thus, the research project allows for the first time a comprehensive chronological, typological, archaeozoology and functional analysis of a rural settlement in northwestern Pannonia.

Leithaprodersdorf: Analysis and Classification of a Rural Settlement in the Hinterland of the Northwest Pannonian Limes Between 2021 and 2025, this research project funded by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) investigated a Roman rural settlement near Leithaprodersdorf in Burgenland (Austria). The site is located in the hinterland of the Danube frontier (limes), where Roman military forces were stationed to protect the empire's northern border. While military installations along the Danube have been extensively studied, rural settlements that supplied these troops remain poorly understood. This project addressed this research gap by combining multiple innovative methods. The neighboring cemetery of this settlement had already been fully excavated and published, providing important insights into the population. The grave finds and funerary monuments revealed that the site was inhabited by a cultural mix of local people alongside Roman military veterans - a fascinating example of cultural interaction in the Roman provinces. The project employed an interdisciplinary approach combining archaeology, archaeozoology, and geophysics. Analysis of animal bones at the Natural History Museum Vienna yielded remarkable results: numerous cattle showed characteristic deformations of their horn cores, indicating they had been used as working oxen for plowing over extended periods. This evidence suggests surplus agricultural production at the site, supporting the hypothesis that this settlement primarily served to supply grain and other agricultural products to Roman soldiers stationed along the Danube frontier. Geophysical surveys revealed that the settlement was much larger than previously assumed. In addition to the excavated main building, at least three more structures were detected - possibly storage buildings, barns for the oxen, or granaries. These findings paint a picture of a substantial agricultural operation. An exciting discovery was that the same location had been used during the Late Iron Age (La Tène period), when a large settlement with sunken-featured buildings existed here. However, whether there was continuous occupation from the La Tène period into Roman times remains an open question requiring further investigation. The settlement itself was occupied from the later 1st century AD into the late 4th / early 5th century AD, demonstrating remarkable longevity. Whether it represents a typical Roman villa rustica or a hybrid form combining local indigenous building traditions with Roman rural architecture remains to be determined. The project demonstrates how rural sites can illuminate the complex interactions between Roman military infrastructure, agricultural supply systems, and multicultural provincial societies.