The Austrian Science Fund (FWF) approved the funding of three new individual projects and one publication project of the OeAI at the last meeting of the Board of Trustees in November 2023. In total, the FWF's support will enable 145 outstanding basic research projects with a volume of 96.7 million euros. Congratulations to all project leaders on their success!
Irene Forstner-Müller »Life in the Provinces - The Early Town Kom Ombo«
Since 2017, the Austrian-Egyptian mission has been making an important contribution to urbanism and urban development in Egyptian archaeology with its investigations of the city of Kom Ombo in Upper Egypt. They have demonstrated the importance of the ancient city and proven its earliest and most recent settlement from the middle of the 2nd Dynasty (ca. 2890–2686 BC) to the 19th century AD. The new project focuses on the city of Kom Ombo in the 3rd millennium BC, from the Old Kingdom to the beginning of the Middle Kingdom. The aim is to investigate the urban economy, the cultural interactions in the city and the development processes of the individual districts.
Stefan Groh »Inter Alpes Noricas – Roman resource development«
The project investigates Roman resource development and infrastructure in the inner Alpine region of the province of Noricum. The research area covers the Salzkammergut region, which is home to rich salt, iron and non-ferrous metal deposits. The focus is on the analysis of the road network and finds from the entire region and also includes scientific material analyses of find groups and deposits. One focal point is the numismatic analysis of two treasure finds against the backdrop of the province's overall coin circulation.
Elisabeth Rathmayr »Archaeological Contexts of Inscriptions in the Private Sphere«
This is the third project in the plan to research inscriptions in ancient dwellings in the eastern Mediterranean. The research area comprises the Near East, Egypt and the eastern part of Libya. Inscriptions on architectural elements, furnishings and fittings allow conclusions to be drawn about how the inhabitants and visitors of the houses dealt with the medium of writing. Texts, symbols and drawings provide information about the social structures, mentality, religion and literacy of the people who frequented the house.
Pamela Rose »The Town of Kom Ombo II: the Anglo-Egyptian Fort«
The aim is to publish a project of the OeAI Cairo in Kom Ombo, which explores the urban development of the city from the earliest settlement in the 3rd millennium BC to modern times. Part II deals in particular with the late 19th century Anglo-Egyptian fortress, a unique remnant in modern Egypt. A synthesis of archaeological data and archival research and its wider historical context is presented. This provides a unique insight into the nature of defenses in Upper Egypt in the face of the threat from Sudan, the living conditions and material culture of the garrison stationed there.