The Anthropological and Archaeological
Database of Sepultures

THANADOS is a Digital Humanities research project on archaeologically and anthropologically investigated burials. The project started in June 2019. The region under study is present day Austria and the period we are dealing with are the Early Middle Ages (600 until 1100 AD). It is work in progress. New sites are added continuously. By the end of the project in 2021 this website will provide an online repository of all hitherto published Early Medieval cemeteries from the area of present day Austria.

Features

  • 100s of cemeteries online
  • Interactive maps
  • Query sites, graves, finds
  • Visualise and analyse data
  • Export data
  • Domain specific vocabularies
  • Detailed anthropological data
  • Network visualisations
  • Spatial analyses
  • Images, 3D Models
  • Metadata and bibliographies
  • Interactive charts

If you want to know more about the features or the project please take a look at the manual or the about section.

News and Highlights:

June 2021: Version 2.8 released

Introducing radiocarbon calibration using the excellent open source Python library IOSACal. Now, if available, radiocarbon data (years, range, laboratory and specimen number) are used to "on the fly" create plots of the calibrated dates based on the most recent calibration curve: Eg. Grave 1 from Oberleiserberg. Also stacked plots are created if there is more than one date for the respective entity and or its subunits.

Mar. 2021: Version 2.7 released

Introducing linked data to various vocabularies, gazetteers and thesauri, such as Wikidata, Getty Arts and Architecture Thesaurus, ArchWort etc.

When available they are listed in the properties info fields and in the vocabulary view with detailed information. E.g. Disc Brooch (See "identifier" tab)

THANADOS is now listed in Open Data Österreich

Feb. 2021: Version 2.6 released

Introducing new map backgrounds including hillshade overlays for basic maps and a detailed terrain model for Austria based on lidar data by basemap.at

41 new sites including for example Zwentendorf with rich anthropological data

Jan. 2021: THANADOS presented in DerStandard.at Science Blog

Tausende Gräber zum Selbsterforschen

Two new academic publications on THANADOS

Towards an Online Database for Archaeological Landscapes

Digital Mapping of Medieval Cemeteries

Best App Award at the 2020 CHNT Conference!

We are proud to announce that THANADOS has won the 2020 "Best App Award" at the International Conference on Cultural Heritage and New Technology - CHNT

Dez. 2020: Version 2.5 released

Introducing additional dashboard visualisations (finds, burials, graves). Click here for an example

Nearest neighbour distance calculation for each grave

30 more cemeteries added. Amongst them the Avar period sites of Leobersdorf and Sommerein. (Acknowledgements for Leobersdorf go to the cooperation with the ERC Synergy Grant HistoGenes )

Oct. 2020: Version 2.4 released

Introducing a dashboard with various visualisations for graves and burials. Click here for an example

3D models

If 3D files are available for finds or features they are displayed interactively in the browser: Example

Interactive Osteology Skeleton

With data on osteology for individual bones, these are mapped directly on an anatomic correct skeleton showing the bones' position and listing their attributes: Example (see "Osteology" tab)

THANADOS on Facebook

THANADOS now has its own Facebook account

100% coverage for Carinthia

All published Early Medieval cemeteries from Carinthia are digitised and online. E.g. the earliest monastery of Molzbichl (8th c.) with its later churchyard or the nearby cemetery of Baldramsdorf/Rosenheim

Highlight: Thunau obere Holzwiese

One of the biggest 8th to 10th century cemeteries in Austria and also the most recent one to be published: Thunau obere Holzwiese