Short Description
The Archaeozoological Collection (AZS) is an interdisciplinary institution spanning zoology, domestic animal science, and archaeology. The AZS is one of the largest archaeozoological research collections in Europe. The collection consists of skeletons, partial skeletons, individual bones, and teeth, primarily of mammals, both domestic and wild. Its geographical focus is on Europe, while its chronological focus extends from the Neolithic period to the modern era.
The Archaeozoological Collection comprises three sub-collections:
the Osteological Comparative Collection from the 18th to the 21st centuries, the "Adametz Collection" with approximately 1,300 mammal skulls (late 19th to early 20th century), and the Osteological Collection with more than 800,000 animal remains from archaeological excavations dating from the Neolithic to the early modern period. The smaller Jeitteles collection mainly contains skulls of canids (especially dogs) from different regions of the world from the 19th century.
The collection is referenced in scientific literature by the acronym "NMW" (derived from Naturhistorisches Museum Wien) or since 2025 by "NHMW-ZOO-AZS-".
Contact Person
Dr. Konstantina Saliari, MA
Research Services
Examination, identification, evaluation and interpretation of animal bones and teeth from archaeological excavations.
Methods & Expertise for Research Infrastructure
The expertise of the Archaeological-Zoological Collection of the Natural History Museum Vienna concerns the osteology and historical development of domestic and wild animals, especially mammals and birds. The collection's chronological focus extends from the Neolithic period to the early modern era. The archaeozoological material originates primarily from Central Europe; additional research has also been conducted in Africa (Egypt) and Asia (Thailand). Analytical methods encompass the essential archaeozoological steps for a comprehensive evaluation and interpretation of the material: species identification, age and sex reconstruction, morphometry, paleopathology, and taphonomy. A key theoretical research focus is on social archaeozoology, particularly economic archaeozoology.
Allocation to research infrastructure
Department of Animal Science, University of Zagreb
Department of Archaeologies, University of Innsbruck
Saliari, K., Pucher, E., & Mosser, M. (2023). Evolution and Utilisation of Dogs in Austria: The Archaeozoological Record from the Neolithic to the Roman Period. In I. Fiore & F. Lugli (Eds.), Dogs, Past and Present: An Interdisciplinary Perspective (pp. 209–225). Archaeopress Publishing Ltd. https://www.archaeopress.com/Archaeopress/Products/9781803273549
Saliari, K., & Trebsche, P. (2023). Cattle Make the Difference: Variations and Developments of Animal Husbandry in the Central European La Tène Culture. Animals, 13(11), 1847. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13111847
Saliari, K., Tobias, B., & Draganits, E. (2022). Animal husbandry during late antiquity: archaeozoological analysis and regional comparison of the 4th to 6th century AD small rural settlement in Podersdorf am See (Burgenland, Austria). Environmental Archaeology, 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/14614103.2022.2053827
Tecchiati, U., Saliari, K., & Pucher, E. (2026). Die Tierknochenfunde aus dem ersten Begehungshorizont des latènezeitlichen Opferplatzes von Pfaffenhofen-Trappeleacker (Oberinntal, Tirol). Annals of the Natural History Museum Vienna, 127, 69–83. https://doi.org/10.3897/anhmw.178040