Provincial Roman Archaeology in Austria 1918–1945

Institutions – Individuals – Excavation Sites – Research Concentrations

In 2008, work was begun at the OeAI on a project financed by the Austrian Science Fund designed to carry out research on the history of provincial Roman archaeology in Austria (Project No. P20877-G02). The goal of the project is to investigate archaeological research in its political and ideological context and to present a comprehensive documentation of this work. Connections between scholarship and politics, and their effects, should be made evident.

The period covered in the project extends from the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy, over the First Republic, ›Ständestaat‹ (authoritarian state) and period of National Socialism, up to the creation of the Second Republic in 1945. The period after 1945 can only be touched upon briefly.

The contemporary literature as well as archival material will be consulted as source material; therefore, research in a variety of archives is an essential element of the project. The inventory of old records in the archive of the OeAI forms an important foundation.

The basis of the planned documentation is a project databank divided into modules, by the aid of which information from unpublished sources (archives) and bibliographies (contemporary and secondary literature) can be linked to the content-related modules (individuals, institutions, excavation sites, research plans). In addition to the documentation concerning the four content-related modules, built up in the form of catalogues, detailed investigations are also planned for specific themes. The work is oriented towards the following issues, amongst others:

• Which focal points in terms of content and geography were set up in the research, and to what extent did the upheaval of 1918, the ideology of the authoritarian state, and the racial theories of the Nazi period influence the research? Which projects were initiated and/or transformed, and how are these to be viewed in connection with the period?
• Excavations with political intent were, for example, the ›Führergrabung‹ at Carnuntum and the investigation of the Karnburg in Carinthia in 1939. Can an ideological influence be detected in other excavations of the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s, in the choice of research emphases or in the interpretation of the finds?
• Were Celts, Romans and Germans understood with particular connotations?
• How is the role of the acting individual to be seen? To what extent did their proximity to or distance from the ruling system influence their research? How far did those responsible for scholarship attempt to conform to the times and allow themselves to be manipulated, or were there also attempts on the part of scholars to use politics for their own aims (as ›resources for each other‹?)
• What magnitude did the exclusion of ›non-Aryan‹ scholars take, and what effect did this have on scholarship?
• During the Third Reich, what influence did the rival establishments of the Amt Rosenberg and the SS-Ahnenerbe (SS-Ancestral Heritage Foundation) have on the area of cultural politics – and on archaeological research – in Austria?

The databank will not only contain individuals who were active in Austria in provincial Roman archaeology, but also those who were important for the scientific and political surroundings. The relationships between the individuals will be easily understandable via their correspondence. Thereby, the question regarding proximity to or distance from the ruling system can be answered, as well as the question whether this positioning influenced their research.

For the selection of the excavation sites which will be included in the documentation, the question is relevant regarding which content-related and geographical emphases were set up in the research, and furthermore if ideological influence can be determined in the interpretation of the finds.

Not only universities and other scholarly institutes should be looked at as institutes active in the field of archaeology, but the activities of museums and societies should also be considered.

Duration of project

2008–2012

Financing

Austrian Science Fund (FWF)

Cooperative work

Collaboration with the Forum »Zeitgeschichte der Universität Wien«

Bibliography (selected)

• V. Losemann, Nationalsozialismus und Antike. Studien zur Entwicklung des Faches Alte Geschichte 1933–1945, Historische Perspektiven 7 (Hamburg 1977).
• M. A. Niegl, Die archäologische Erforschung der Römerzeit in Österreich. Eine wissenschaftsgeschichtliche Untersuchung, DenkschrWien 141 (Wien 1980).
• E. Rudolf, Pompeji vor den Toren Wiens. Die »Führergrabung« von Carnuntum 1938/40, Hephaistos 13, 1995, 203–220.
• O. H. Urban, »Er war der Mann zwischen den Fronten«. Oswald Menghin und das Urgeschichtliche Institut der Universität Wien während der Nazizeit, ArchA 80, 1996 (1997) 1–24.
• B. Näf (Hrsg., unter Mitarbeit von T. Kammusch), Antike und Altertumswissenschaft in der Zeit von Faschismus und Nationalsozialismus, Kolloquium Zürich 14.–16. Oktober 1998 (Mandelbachtal – Cambridge 2001).
• A. Leube (Hrsg., in Zusammenarbeit mit M. Hegewisch), Prähistorie und Nationalsozialismus. Die mittel- und osteuropäische Frühgeschichtsforschung in den Jahren 1933–1945, Studien zur Wissenschafts- und Universitätsgeschichte 2 (Heidelberg 2002).
• M. Maischberger, German archaeology during the Third Reich, 1933–45: a case study based on archival evidence, Antiquity 76, 2002, 209–218.
• U. Halle, »Die Externsteine sind bis auf weiteres germanisch!« Prähistorische Archäologie im Dritten Reich, Sonderveröffentlichungen des Naturwissenschaftlichen und Historischen Vereins für das Land Lippe 68 (Bielefeld 2002)
• R. Bollmus, Das Amt Rosenberg und seine Gegner. Studien zum Machtkampf im nationalsozialistischen Herrschaftssystem, Studien zur Zeitgeschichte 1 (Stuttgart 1970; 2. Aufl. München 2006).
• M. Ash, Wissenschaft und Politik als Ressourcen für einander, in: R. vom Bruch – B. Kaderas (Hrsg.), Wissenschaften und Wissenschaftspolitik. Bestandsaufnahmen zu Formationen, Brüchen und Kontinuitäten im Deutschland des 20. Jahrhunderts (Stuttgart 2002) 32–51.
• M. H. Kater, Das »Ahnenerbe« der SS 1935–1945. Ein Beitrag zur Kulturpolitik des Dritten Reiches, Studien zur Zeitgeschichte 6 (Stuttgart 1974; 4. Aufl. München 2006).
• R. Jernej, Archäologie in Kärnten 1938–1945, in: J.-P. Legendre – L. Olivier – B. Schnitzler (Hrsg.), L’archéologie nazie en Europe de l’Ouest / Nazi-Archäologie in Westeuropa, EAA Kongress Lyon 2004 (Gollion 2007) 271–285.
• St. Altekamp, Klassische Archäologie und Nationalsozialismus, in: J. Elvert – J. Nielsen-Sikora (Hrsg.), Kulturwissenschaften und Archäologie (Stuttgart 2008) 167–209.
• M. G. Ash – W. Nieß – R. Pils (Hrsg.), Geisteswissenschaften im Nationalsozialismus. Das Beispiel der Universität Wien (Göttingen 2010).

Contact

Gudrun Wlach