Michaela Binder
Austrian Archaeological Institute, Head Office Vienna, Department Member
- I am a bioarchaeologist interested in studying life and living conditions of past human populations based on their sk... moreI am a bioarchaeologist interested in studying life and living conditions of past human populations based on their skeletal human remains. I hold a master's degree in Physical Anthropology with additional studies in Prehistoric Archaeology from the University of Vienna and a PhD in Bioarchaeology from Durham University (supervised by Charlotte Roberts). With a special focus on paleopathology, my research experience involves systematic bioarchaeological studies of skeletal human remains from Austria, Egypt, Sicily, Turkey and Sudan. Within the framework of my Phd, I studied changes in health and diet in relationship to climatic and political changes in Upper Nubia in the late 2nd/early 1st millenium BC.
In addition I have conducted field work in cemetery and settlement sites in Austria, Sicily, the UAE, Turkey and Sudan. Since 2009 I have directed excavations in the cemeteries of Amara West, Sudan on behalf of the British Museum mission at Amara directed by Neal Spencer.edit
Wien liegt heute an der Spitze europäischer Großstädte, was die Lebensqualität angeht. Ganz im Gegensatz beispielsweise zum 18. Jahrhundert, wo die frühindustrielle, rasch wachsende Stadt aufgrund von Armut, Hunger und Seuchen (Pocken,... more
Wien liegt heute an der Spitze europäischer Großstädte, was die Lebensqualität angeht. Ganz im Gegensatz beispielsweise zum 18. Jahrhundert, wo die frühindustrielle, rasch wachsende Stadt aufgrund von Armut, Hunger und Seuchen (Pocken, Syphilis und Tuberkulose) die höchste Sterblichkeitsrate in ganz Europa aufweist. Dass die Schilderungen von Zeitzeugen zu mangelnden Hygienestandards, beengten Wohnverhältnissen, fehlender medizinischer Versorgung und Nahrungsmittelknappheit alles andere als übertrieben sind, bestätigt die vorliegende anthropologische Untersuchung nur zu deutlich. Anhand pathologischer Veränderungen und Anzeichen von Stress am Skelett und den Zähnen ließen sich auch im Nachhinein statistisch signifikante Hinweise auf Mangelernährung und Infektionskrankheiten feststellen.
Anlässlich der 2005 durch die Stadtarchäologie Wien erfolgten Ausgrabung auf dem Areal eines ehemaligen Soldatenfriedhofs, der zum ersten Militärspital der Habsburgermonarchie gehörte, konnten unter Mitwirkung der Autorin 58 Skelette einzeln geborgen werden. Da der Belegungszeitraum des Friedhofes urkundlich feststeht, die zugehörigen Sterbematriken u. a. Auskunft über Sterbedatum, Herkunft, Alter, Regimentszugehörigkeit und Dienstgrad der Verstorbenen geben und die Knochen bestens erhalten sind, ist das Sample sehr gut auswertbar.
Es bietet die einzigartige Möglichkeit, den Gesundheitszustand und die Lebensbedingungen von Rekruten und niedrigrangigen Soldaten der theresianisch-josephinischen Ära in Friedenszeiten zu untersuchen und damit gleichzeitig die Verhältnisse eines Teils der Unterschicht des gesamten Habsburgerreiches zu beleuchten.
Anlässlich der 2005 durch die Stadtarchäologie Wien erfolgten Ausgrabung auf dem Areal eines ehemaligen Soldatenfriedhofs, der zum ersten Militärspital der Habsburgermonarchie gehörte, konnten unter Mitwirkung der Autorin 58 Skelette einzeln geborgen werden. Da der Belegungszeitraum des Friedhofes urkundlich feststeht, die zugehörigen Sterbematriken u. a. Auskunft über Sterbedatum, Herkunft, Alter, Regimentszugehörigkeit und Dienstgrad der Verstorbenen geben und die Knochen bestens erhalten sind, ist das Sample sehr gut auswertbar.
Es bietet die einzigartige Möglichkeit, den Gesundheitszustand und die Lebensbedingungen von Rekruten und niedrigrangigen Soldaten der theresianisch-josephinischen Ära in Friedenszeiten zu untersuchen und damit gleichzeitig die Verhältnisse eines Teils der Unterschicht des gesamten Habsburgerreiches zu beleuchten.
Research Interests:
Since 2005 cremation experiments and the experimental reconstruction of pyres are carried out as part of University courses in Experimental Archaeology held in Austria. The aim of the experiments was to gain a better understanding of the... more
Since 2005 cremation experiments and the experimental reconstruction of pyres are carried out as part of University courses in Experimental Archaeology held in Austria. The aim of the experiments was to gain a better understanding of the time and effort prehistoric People invested in cremating their dead.
Even though the earliest prosthetic devices date to the Ancient Egyptian Empire and iconographic sources attest their use in the Greco-Roman world, archaeological evidence for this practice prior to 2nd millennium AD is very scant. In... more
Even though the earliest prosthetic devices date to the Ancient Egyptian Empire and
iconographic sources attest their use in the Greco-Roman world, archaeological evidence for
this practice prior to 2nd millennium AD is very scant. In 2013, a skeleton dating to the
Frankish period (6th century AD) was excavated at the Hemmaberg in southern Austria. The
middle adult male was missing his left foot from above the ankle. In its place, an iron-ring and
wooden remains were recovered and interpreted as a prosthesis replacing the lost foot. This
represents one of the oldest examples of prosthetic limb replacement associated with the
skeleton of its wearer in Europe to date.
Analysis through macroscopic assessment, radiography and CT-scanning revealed healing of
the lesion even though it may have initially been complicated by osteomyelitis. Atrophy of the
left lower leg further indicates immobilisation and suggests survival of several years.
Osteoarthritis in the knees and shoulder girdle provides tentative indications towards the
functionality of the prosthesis, perhaps aided through a crutch. These findings are set against
the historic, archaeological, bioarchaeological and social context of the man in order to
discuss whether removal of the foot was due to medical, punitive or traumatic causes.
iconographic sources attest their use in the Greco-Roman world, archaeological evidence for
this practice prior to 2nd millennium AD is very scant. In 2013, a skeleton dating to the
Frankish period (6th century AD) was excavated at the Hemmaberg in southern Austria. The
middle adult male was missing his left foot from above the ankle. In its place, an iron-ring and
wooden remains were recovered and interpreted as a prosthesis replacing the lost foot. This
represents one of the oldest examples of prosthetic limb replacement associated with the
skeleton of its wearer in Europe to date.
Analysis through macroscopic assessment, radiography and CT-scanning revealed healing of
the lesion even though it may have initially been complicated by osteomyelitis. Atrophy of the
left lower leg further indicates immobilisation and suggests survival of several years.
Osteoarthritis in the knees and shoulder girdle provides tentative indications towards the
functionality of the prosthesis, perhaps aided through a crutch. These findings are set against
the historic, archaeological, bioarchaeological and social context of the man in order to
discuss whether removal of the foot was due to medical, punitive or traumatic causes.
Research Interests:
Calcifications commonly occur in association with soft tissue inflammation. However, they are not often discussed in palaeopathological literature, frequently due to problems of identification and diagnosis. We present a calcified object... more
Calcifications commonly occur in association with soft tissue inflammation. However, they are not often discussed in palaeopathological literature, frequently due to problems of identification and diagnosis. We present a calcified object (40 × 27 × 27 cm) found with a middle-aged male from a post-medieval cemetery in Vienna. It was not recognized during excavation, thus its anatomical location within the body remains unknown. The object was subject to X-ray, SEM and CT scanning and compared to historic pathological objects held in the collection of the Natural History Museum Vienna. Two of closest resemblance, a thyroid adenoma and goitre were subject to similar analytical techniques for comparison. Despite similarities between all objects, the structure of the object most closely conforms to a thyroid tumor. Nevertheless, due to similar pathophysiological pathways and biochemical composition of calcified soft tissue, a secure identification outside of its anatomical context is not possible. The research further highlights the fact that recognition of such objects during excavation is crucial for a more conclusive diagnosis. Historic medical records indicate that they were common and might therefore be expected to frequently occur in cemeteries. Consequently, an increasing the dataset of calcifications would also aid in extending the knowledge about diseases in past human populations.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
ABSTRAKTUM: In der vorliegenden Studie wurden sieben prähistorische Skelette aus dem in der östlichen Sahara gelegenen Wadi Shaw (NW-Sudan) einer neuen Beurteilung unterzogen. Es handelte sich um sechs erwachsene undein kindliches... more
ABSTRAKTUM: In der vorliegenden Studie wurden sieben prähistorische Skelette aus dem in der östlichen Sahara gelegenen Wadi Shaw (NW-Sudan) einer neuen Beurteilung unterzogen. Es handelte sich um sechs erwachsene undein kindliches Individuum. Eines der Skelette stammt aus dem Mesolithikum, zwei aus dem Neolithikums und vier aus dem 3. und 2. Jahrtausend BC. Hauptaugenmerk der Untersuchung lag auf Anzeichen von habituellem Stress, Enthesiopathien und Pathologien degenerativen Ursprungs. An den sechs erwachsenen Individuen konnten eine Reihe von Modifikationen am Skelett festgestellt werden, die auf verschiedene Tätigkeiten des täglichen Lebens zurückgehen.
Als mögliche Ursachen konnten die AutorInnen das Zurücklegen langer Wanderungen in unebenem Gelände, Jagen oder Kämpfen, das Tragen schwerer Lasten sowie habituelles Hocken in Erwägung ziehen. Die Ergebnisse sind im Einklang
mit den humanökologischen Gegebenheiten des frühen und mittleren Holozäns, wie sie aus den paläoklimatischen,
archäobiologischen, und archäologischen Befunden der Region rekonstruiert werden konnten.
ABSTRACT: Seven prehistoric skeletons from Wadi Shaw in Eastern Sahara (NW-Sudan) were re-examined for occupational markers and enthesiopathies as well as for degenerative pathologies. Of the six adults and one infant,one dates to the Mesolithic, two to the Neolithic and four to the protohistoric period. The reappraisal of the six adult individuals revealed a high frequency of skeletal modifications linked to daily activities. The authors suggest habitualactivities such as extensive walking on rough terrain, hunting or fighting, load carrying and squatting as the normal form of resting. The observations are consistent with human ecology as reconstructed from paleo-environmental and archaeological findings from the Early and Middle Holocene of the Wadi Shaw area
Als mögliche Ursachen konnten die AutorInnen das Zurücklegen langer Wanderungen in unebenem Gelände, Jagen oder Kämpfen, das Tragen schwerer Lasten sowie habituelles Hocken in Erwägung ziehen. Die Ergebnisse sind im Einklang
mit den humanökologischen Gegebenheiten des frühen und mittleren Holozäns, wie sie aus den paläoklimatischen,
archäobiologischen, und archäologischen Befunden der Region rekonstruiert werden konnten.
ABSTRACT: Seven prehistoric skeletons from Wadi Shaw in Eastern Sahara (NW-Sudan) were re-examined for occupational markers and enthesiopathies as well as for degenerative pathologies. Of the six adults and one infant,one dates to the Mesolithic, two to the Neolithic and four to the protohistoric period. The reappraisal of the six adult individuals revealed a high frequency of skeletal modifications linked to daily activities. The authors suggest habitualactivities such as extensive walking on rough terrain, hunting or fighting, load carrying and squatting as the normal form of resting. The observations are consistent with human ecology as reconstructed from paleo-environmental and archaeological findings from the Early and Middle Holocene of the Wadi Shaw area
The floodplain surrounding the town of Aspern, now a district of Vienna, was the site of one of the largest battles during the Napoleonic wars to take place on Austrian grounds. On May 21st/22nd 1809, Napoleon saw his first ever defeat on... more
The floodplain surrounding the town of Aspern, now a district of Vienna, was the site of one of the largest battles during the Napoleonic wars to take place on Austrian grounds. On May 21st/22nd 1809, Napoleon saw his first ever defeat on land which cost the life of an estimated 55 000 soldiers. Residential development works in the area of the battle site over the last decades have prompted large-scale archaeological surveys undertaken by the Stadtarchäologie Wien. In 2009 and 2010, three multiple burials of soldiers as well as two large bone pits holding human remains which were presumably disturbed during earlier construction works during WW II were recovered and the human remains made available for further anthropological analyses.
The scope of this paper is twofold. It aims to provide an overview of all known interment sites excavated over the course of the 20th century and to discuss the archaeological evidence of treatment of the victims of the battle of Aspern. Furthermore it will present the results of the anthropological analysis of the human remains recovered from the multiple burials discussing aspects of battle-related violence but also general indicators of health of the soldiers during the time of the Napoleonic wars.
The scope of this paper is twofold. It aims to provide an overview of all known interment sites excavated over the course of the 20th century and to discuss the archaeological evidence of treatment of the victims of the battle of Aspern. Furthermore it will present the results of the anthropological analysis of the human remains recovered from the multiple burials discussing aspects of battle-related violence but also general indicators of health of the soldiers during the time of the Napoleonic wars.