The research of the Hajdúbagos–Cehăluț pottery tradition which emerged during the Koszider period and can be traced through the first two phases of the Late Bronze Age dates back to the early 20th century. However, despite sporadic periods of focused study, it remained largely under-researched until the turn of the millennium, particularly within its modern-day Hungarian territory. Various terms have been used to describe this ceramic style, including the Hajdúbagos group, Cehăluț or Pișcolt–Cehăluț cultural group, Hajdúbagos/Cehăluț, Hajdúbagos/Pișcolt–Cehăluț, Hajdúbagos–Cehăluț, and Cehăluț–Hajdúbagos. In our study, we present the research history of the Hajdúbagos–Cehăluț ceramic tradition and provide an overview of the current state of research through a comprehensive site catalogue.
Horse domestication is a key element in history for its impact on human mobility and warfare. There is a clear evidence for horse control from the beginning of the 2nd millennium BCE in the Carpathian Basin, when antler cheekpieces appear in the archaeological record mostly in the eastern areas. Previous archaeogenomic studies also revealed that the spread of the ancestors of modern day horses began at this time period, although the replacement dynamics is less understood in Europe. In this study we report a new shotgun genome (∼0.9× average genomic coverage) of a Middle Bronze Age horse (1870–1620 cal. BCE) from Tompa site, southern Hungary. Our results reveal an extended survival of pre-domestication lineage compared to available estimates, and a strong bottleneck in prevailing non-domesticated lineages, compared to the surrounding areas, and provide additional information on human-horse interactions in this area.
At the beginning of the last century, during the heyday of Hungarian cave excavations, only a selected part of the faunal remains found in caves was collected and preserved due to the applied excavation methods and the approach used. Thus, these bone assemblages from the early excavation period offer limited opportunities for examining traces of anthropogenic origin. However, among the caves excavated in the second half of the 20th century, there are already faunal assemblages in which every effort was made to collect all remains from the sediment, while at the same time leaving a cave filling for posterity that could still be revealed. After studying several sites, the bone material from the cave located in the Remete Valley was chosen for examination. The fauna recovered in the cave filling proved to be highly mixed, both in terms of accumulation and stratigraphy; therefore, an attempt was made to find an explanation for these reasons. After examining the entire bone material from the cave excavation, the remains of Pleistocene age were selected for further processing. The primary criterion for this selection was the fossilised state of the bones. While searching for traces of human activity, cut-marked, broken and burnt bones in the front and back rooms of the cave, human remains, and a pierced red deer tooth were found. Some of the bones bearing the marks of cutting could be linked to a species: wild horse (Equus sp. ) , red deer (Cervus elaphus) , cave bear (Ursus spelaeus) , cave lion (Panthera spelaea) ; most of the small-sized fragments, which did not bear morphological characters, could not be determined at the species level. In addition to the large mammals hunted by humans, the way cave bears were killed and the likely unusual circumstances of the cave lion bones being found in the cave were also revealed. Further scientific studies are needed for the human remains found in the cave. A complete revision of the fauna could not be carried out because several small and large mammal finds were mixed up or lost following the excavations.
Newly discovered stray finds from the late Avar age shed new light on the significance of the area around Lake Neusiedl/Fertő. All of the artefacts can be dated from the middle of the 8th century and some of them are high quality manufacturing. Some ornamental and structural characteristics suggest that trends in the Mediterranean have directly affected this region. The data collected from written sources also show that the role of the western frontier movements increased during this period, and the areas surveyed are mentioned by name in the annals.
Antefixes from Roman Pannonia have not been in the focus of Hungarian research, the artefacts in the collections of Hungarian museums are mostly unpublished, and in consequence, unknown. This paper discusses fifteen antefixes and two intact antefix moulds discovered in the collection of the Kuny Domokos Museum in Tata, as well as an antefix in the Klapka György Museum in Komárom, all found in Roman Brigetio (present-day Komárom/Szőny, Hungary). The pieces were meticulously studied and categorized into four types based on their appearance. As a result, three new types could be added to the already published two Brigetio antefix types, and a production place at the Kurucdomb legionary brick and tile workshop could be verified. Based on identical antefixes found at different archaeological sites, antefixes or their moulds were most probably transported from Brigetio to the Roman villa of Ravazd and to the early legionary fortress of Apulum, Dacia (present-day Alba Iulia, Romania) by the soldiers of the legio I Adiutrix and two other antefix types were shipped from Aquincum to Brigetio.
Fragments of two Roman limestone sarcorphagi decorated with a motif of mourning Eros and mourning shepherd/ Attis Tristis from Aureus Mons (today Seone), a Roman settlement on the Upper Moesian Limes in the immediate vicinity of Singidunum , are kept in the Museum in Smederevo. The study based on documentation and preserved fragments proposes a reconstruction of these sarcophagi, researching their typology, iconography, and closest Pannonian and Upper Moesian analogy. It aspires towards a better understanding of local sarcophagus production and the influences that came from Pannonia.
The main goal of this paper is to present a Roman-period cemetery at the Feketekúti-dűlő site in Bük. During the fieldwork, 71 Roman features (69 graves and 2 ditches) were excavated. The cemetery was biritual, with 51 cremation and 10 skeletal burials. The paper covers the detailed analysis of ceramic finds, glass objects and metal products. Based on the finds, the cemetery was used between the end of the first century and the middle/second half of the third century AD.
The present paper is the first part of a project including women's perspective of Roman social history in Pannonia. The presented case study is about the female relatives of the soldiers in the settlement complex of Brigetio. The high number of inscriptions from Brigetio opens a unique opportunity for social history analysis. Including a short social history of the settlement complex, present study provides a general overview of the inscriptions mentioning female inhabitants in Brigetio and includes a detailed analysis of soldiers' female relatives, focusing on family ties, especially the possible legal marriages of soldiers, and patterns of family relations and the age of women.
This study explores mobility in the Monti Lucretili district (Lazio, Italy) through a microregional perspective and a diachronic approach. We model historical pathways beyond primary routes, integrating secondary networks critical to the region's socio-economic articulation. The model is tested against legacy data and reveals the persistence of mountain routes, shaped by geomorphological constraints and economic activities such as transhumance, agriculture, charcoal production and snow trade. GIs cost analysis and network and functional adaptation over time.
Roman roads have been a common topic of study since the beginning of archaeological research. However, the methodological approaches have received significant advances in the last decades, mainly thanks to GIS-based studies and terrain modelling with LiDAR data. Thus, novel research has begun to show new roads and routes and offer new insights into Roman connections. In the same spirit, this work focuses on the study of the route known as the via XVHI or the via Nova, which crossed the region of Allariz-Maceda. This road crossed the Conventus Bracarense from Asturica Augusta to Bracara Augusta, which has one of the highest concentrations of road epigraphy in the Roman Empire. This density of finds has motivated the choice of this case study, as it provides a highly productive context for tracing and uncovering Roman roads, whether or not they are directly related to this route. The main objective of this research is to apply a methodology based on node analysis, aerial photograph interpretation and the study of digital terrain models to identify Roman road routes. Along this line, a methodological approach will be proposed to describe its potentialities, following an archaeological characterisation of the study area. A brief portrait of the most common features of Roman roads is also provided. Finally, the characteristics of each identified section are described, interpreting their characteristics in relation to the basic criteria of Roman road infrastructures.
The objective of this study is to analyse a newly identified section of a typologically mountainous road in the Province of Avila, archaeologically attested and plausibly associated with the ancient road network. The remains of the route under investigation have been documented using non-invasive archaeological methodologies. The study and documentation process involved the implementation of innovative techniques such as photogrammetric and orthophotographic applications. Furthermore, an analysis of the ancient settlement patterns in the area was conducted to establish historical movement dynamics enabling the reconstruction of not only the landscape archaeology but also the characteristics of the settlements associated with this road.
The transformation of sacred landscapes in Late Antique Egypt (3rd-8th centuries CE) was a dynamic process of religious adaptation influenced by economic, social and spatial factors. While textual sources often emphasise religious conflict and imperial policies, archaeological and papyrological evidence present a more nuanced reality in which temples were frequently repurposed for secular or ecclesiastical functions rather than subjected to systematic destruction. Similarly, the expansion of monasticism challenges Coptic hagiographic narratives of isolation. Spatial analysis reveals that most monasteries were strategically located near major transport and road networks, facilitating their integration into broader systems of trade, pilgrimage and communication. Case studies such as Kellia, the Topos of Apa Phoibammon and the Monastery of St. Anthony illustrate how monastic communities navigated the balance between seclusion and accessibility, ensuring long-term sustainability. By applying Network Science methodologies, this article reassesses patterns of monastic mobility, identifying key logistical hubs, including Red Sea ports and oasis settlements that were instrumental in sustaining monastic networks. Reconceptualising monasteries as both religious institutions and economic centres, this article challenges conventional urban-rural dichotomies, demonstrating that Egyptian monasticism thrived within an interconnected landscape, where ascetic ideals coexisted with economic necessities. Ultimately, this study challenges conventional narratives of monastic isolation, revealing instead a landscape of strategically positioned religious institutions deeply embedded within the economic and infrastructural construction of Late Antique Egypt.
The aim of our study is to present the research and prediction possibilities of GIs-based least-cost corridor (LCC) analysis on Roman roads in northern Pannonia. The advantage and disadvantages of studying Roman roads in Pannonia is the availability of ancient itineraries, the stations of which and thus their routes have been identified in various ways by historians and archaeologists over the last 150 years. However, the topographical characteristics of Pannonia, and in particular of northern Pannonia, which is the subject of our research, do not limit the identification of areas suitable for transport in the same way as in mountainous regions. Despite the limitations of LCC studies and the advanced Roman engineering technology, which sometimes overrode natural features, we have tried to reconstruct transport corridors which could be considered as reasonable routes according to a `topographical logic'. By filtering data from written sources, we have sought to build a dynamic and temporal model for a detailed future study of the transport network in northern Pannonia. Our approach was both predictive and postdictive. Based on the available data, it was not our aim-and perhaps, this is not feasible-to model specific road sections. Rather, we wanted to map those interprovincial corridors where we could predictively identify areas for further research and postdictively interpret existing spatial data.
One of the mostwidely accepted hypotheses regarding Roman Road XIX of the Itinerarium Antonini Augusti, as it passed through the Galician city of Pontevedra, is that it crossed the L & eacute;rez River approximately at the location of the present-day Burgo Bridge and then continued northwards along what is now Santina Street. Currently, an archaeological monitoring programme is being carried out on Santina Street, and the results obtained raise some doubts about the route traditionally attributed to the Roman road. This case serves as a contemporary example highlighting the complexities involved in accurately identifying Roman roads within the landscape, particularly in areas that have been reused diachronically. The research process developed in this study is considered potentially useful for examining other modern urban or peri-urban areas thought to be associated with Roman roads. The article begins with a brief outline of the objectives and methodology employed. It then offers a historiographical review of the research concerning the passage of Roman Road XIX through the modern city of Pontevedra. The study goes on to examine the Roman evidence discovered in the city to date. Finally, the preliminary results of the archaeological monitoring on Santina Street are presented, shedding light on the uncertainties involved in identifying segments of the Roman road network in present-day urban contexts.
The road network is consistently recognised as one of the most significant engineering achievements of the Roman world. While the remnants of this infrastructure are a prominent feature across the Mediterranean and have often garnered considerable interest, numerous traces remain largely undocumented or understudied. This study explores a comprehensive methodological approach that integrates airborne LiDAR and aerial imagery with archaeological data, historical and cartographic sources, alongside legacy data, to identify and analyse Roman roads. Through two complementary case studies from the southwestern quadrant of the Iberian Peninsula, the following article not only offers novel insights into previously unidentified road segments but also conclusively underscores the necessity for an interdisciplinary evaluation of complementary sources and digital datasets, hopefully also enhancing the awareness of the potential that remote sensing holds for the archaeological investigation of Roman roads within this region, and, potentially, in similar contexts throughout the Roman world.
In the eastern Andes, archaeologists and ethnohistorians have found evidence of pre-Hispanic long-distance trade. This study attempts to reconstruct the corresponding trade routes of the Quijos people in Ecuador by using least-cost approaches. In the study region, a long continuity of the main routes is likely. Historical travel accounts, two old maps, archaeological data and four short old footpath sections provide insights into past mobility patterns. Different least-cost path (LCP) approaches were tested to reconstruct the routes based on the old maps. The LCP s form narrow corridors in the north of the study area, but no obvious best paths could be found in the less steep southern landscape. This is explored by an accessibility map and a map of high local accessibility. The latter allows the identification of preferred movement corridors in areas of low variation in accessibility.
Studies on Roman mobility are not often interested in the Alps. And even when they are, they tend to focus on general road reconstruction. This means identifying the roads mentioned in ancient Itineraria, suggesting possible routes followed and passes crossed and locating the sites of post stations on the ground. However, little attention is paid in these studies to the layout of the roads, their technical characteristics and their relationship with the natural environment. In particular, they often seem to ignore the fact that in ancient times people travelled (especially in the mountains) not only by cart but especially by walking or using pack animals. Consequently, they do not provide a complete understanding of the phenomenon of Roman mobility in the Alps. In an attempt to fill this gap, a research project (TRIALP-TRIdentinae ALpes Project) was carried out at the University of Trento, Italy, from 2021 to 2025. One of the aims of the project was to study the Roman road network in the Alpine region of Trento, known in Roman times as the Tridentinae Alpes, using a wide range of digital and field methodologies. These methods made it possible to go beyond the mere description of road paths and to explore Roman Alpine mobility from a new perspective. Using the TridentinaeAlpes as a case study, this article will therefore present some methodological appraisals and insights derived from the results obtained by the research project that may be useful for studying Roman mobility in the Alps.
This study evaluates the suitability of Geographic Information Systems (G Is) for analysing Roman communication routes. We will use the Itinerarium Antonini Augusti Route XIX between Lucus Augusti and Asturica Augusta, as a case study. It questions the effectiveness of GIs in reconstructing historical road networks and proposes a methodology to address observed challenges. Applying this methodology reveals new issues and errors, highlighting limitations inherent in GIs tools and the available data. These findings emphasise the complexity of studying historical landscapes and the importance of integrating GIs with interdisciplinary methods. The research contributes to understanding Route XIX, while encouraging critical reflection on GIs's broader application in historical studies. Although GIs offers powerful spatial modelling and visualisation tools, its use for studying ancient roadways requires caution and methodological support. The study identifies its constraints as opportunities for refining GIs integration into historical landscape analysis and Roman route studies, fostering further research and critical evaluations.
Studying settlement patterns solely from a typological perspective is often not sufficient. It is crucial to understand their locations and how they interact with each other. More specifically, communication routes play a vital role in daily life, connecting communities, trade routes and ideas. The main objective of this article is to explore the potential mobility on the territory controlled by the Roman city of Ilunum (Hellin, Albacete) during the Early Empire, as well as the possible accessibility of each of the documented settlements on this natural communication hub. All this has been carried out with the GIs framework, and with MADO analysis being the main axis of this research. This investigation highlighted the number of possibilities that the new technologies, specifically the network analysis, have to study some archaeological data that will be almost impossible to study with traditional methods due to their limitations.
