Martin PENZ, Stadtarchaeologie Wien, Austria
This lecture presents an illustrated overview of prehistoric sites in Vienna, which have been detected by rescue excavations of the Wien Museum – Stadtarchäologie in the last few years.
Near Rochusmarkt the oldest dwelling house of Vienna could be discovered – a post-structure building of the Early Neolithic Linear Pottery Culture.
Because of their rarity, it is amazing that quite a lot of Late Neolithic/Late Copper Age settlement features (Bell Beaker, Kosihy-Čaka-Makó) came to light at different sites (Rennweg, Csokorgasse, Oberlaa).
Field surveys within the geological formation „St. Veit Klippen Belt“ near the western boaders of Vienna brought evidence for prehistoric quarrying and knapping activities linked to radiolarite outcrops. The high density of sites and the distribution of this chert-raw material in distant archaological units suggest a large „mining cluster“ spreading from Paleolithic up to late Neolithic times.
Due to the large scale urban development project „Seestadt Aspern“ a series of excavations allowed successful investigations on a Middle Copper Age (Baden) and a Late Bronze Age (Urnfield Culture) settlement. Further scattered relicts of the Bronze age appeared at Rennweg (burials) and Wallgasse (settlement).
A well-known Early Iron Age (Hallstatt) settlement site is located on the southern slopes of the Laaer Berg in Oberlaa. The last years‘ most exiting discovery has been the Late Iron Age settlement at Rochusmarkt. For the first time in Vienna, late La Tène material was found here together with Roman findings.
