The Anthropological and Archaeological Database of Sepultures

The Anthropological and Archaeological
Database of Sepultures

THANADOS is a Digital Humanities web portal for archaeologically and anthropologically investigated burials and their digital dissemination. It is a platform for hosting any thematically relevant datasets that the authors want to offer as Open Data in a standardised form. The basic dataset consists of the results of the THANADOS project Several other projects that contributed data are featured. New sites are added on the project basis and the platform is open for hosting datasets for any period.

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, the project or you want to host your data, please take a look at the manual and the about section.

Featured Projects:

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News and Highlights:

May 2022: Version 4.2 released

In this version "broad matches" for controlled vocabularies have been introduced. Also THANADOS will soon be aggregated by ARIADNEplus. Several changes regarding API functions were implemented in order to harmonize with ARIADNEplus.

February 2022: Version 4.0 released

With version 4.0 of THANADOS new filters have been introduced for the selection of sites. In the near future THANADOS' scope will be enlarged for further periods, projects, case studies and regions. This will allow for a quick selection of the respective sites.
The data collection has also been enlarged and currently There are more than 400 Austrian cemeteries online.
Furthermore THANADOS has become a local time machine within the Time Machine Organisation.

September 2021: Version 3.1 released

Introducing a new search functionality that allows for text search all over the entire database. Now you can search for any term defined by you in the name, description, context and type fields of all entities. Also automatic image processing has been implemented that crops and converts image files in order to load them faster into your browser.

August 2021: Version 3.0 released

We have added several new chart visualisations on the inter-site level, such as bodyheight comparisons, age at death estimations based on absolute age etc.
Also many (however mostly) invisible things have been implemented in the backend: The CSS framework has been updated from Bootstrap 4 to Bootstrap 5 along with many JavaScript libraries and new CSS classes. In total there have been 4,852 changed files with 558,679 additions and 398,905 deletions.

July 2021: Version 2.9 released

Introducing new dashboard visualisations for isotopic analyses and bodyheight of individuals. E.g. at Oberleiserberg (see burial tab). Also 30 new sites were added to the repository including many from Tyrol.

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 Art 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