Short Description
The Palaeolithic collection comprises more than 200,000 artefacts (600,000 to 10,000 years old). Geographically, the focus of the collection is on Austria and the states of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire, including above all the Czech Republic. The collection also includes other European artefacts from France, Italy and Romania, among others, as well as from West Asia (Levant coast) and Africa (including Egypt).
The oldest Austrian artefacts in the collection are the finds from the Gudenus Cave, which can be assigned to the later cultural stages of the Neanderthals. However, the majority of the Palaeolithic collection dates back to the Later Palaeolithic period (36,000 - 10,000 BP) with a focus on Lower Austria and the Palaeolithic sites of the UNESCO World Heritage ‘Wachau Cultural Landscape’. These include the Willendorf II site, known for its 15,000-year-long settlement sequence (45,000 to 19,000 BP) as well as the ‘Venus of Willendorf’ and the ‘Stratzing/Krems-Rehberg’ site with the Stratzing Galgenberg statuette. Another important part of the collection comprises the finds from the ‘Grub-Kranawetberg’ site on the March near Stilfried, which contains the largest Palaeolithic jewellery ensemble in Austria.
Contact Person
Dr. Caroline Posch
Research Services
Support of research and material studies on the palaeolithic period collection. Expertise on Palaeolithic archaeological remains
Methods & Expertise for Research Infrastructure
Collection, conservation and research of material remains of human history of the Palaeolithic Period.
Macroscopic and microscopic analysis of the artifacts, interdisciplinary cooperation with other departments, especially the central research laboratories of the NHM Vienna.
Contextualization of the artifacts with the archaeological evidence, studying the documentation of the excavations (images, graphics, excavation documentation, etc.). For artefacts that were excavated in the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, historical documents and images from the excavations or collections / acquisitions are to be studied (archives of the prehistoric department).
Allocation to research infrastructure
Work with original artifacts is subject to the Austrian law on the protection of historical monuments.
Sampling of objects is only possible in scientific cooperations.
Austrian Academy of Sciences
Museum Lower Austria
University of Innsbruck
The "Venus of Willendorf" and Ice Age art
Antl-Weiser W. 2008: Die Frau von W. Die Venus von Willendorf, ihre Zeit und die Geschichte(n) um ihre Auffindung. Wien.