Dominik Hagmann{digital} Roman archaeology
I am an archaeologist specializing in Roman settlement and landscape archaeology in the middle Danube region. My work combines Roman provincial archaeology, landscape studies, digital archaeology, artificial intelligence, spatial analysis, bioarchaeology, radiocarbon dating, aDNA studies, and archaeological data infrastructures.
My research focuses on how Roman-period communities, infrastructures, landscapes, and material assemblages can be studied through the combined use of cultural-historical interpretation, spatial modeling, digital documentation, and interdisciplinary archaeological science.
Research profile
Roman settlement and landscape archaeology
My research examines rural settlement structures, landscape organization, connectivity, and long-term transformation processes in the Roman provinces of the middle Danube region, with a particular focus on the Danube frontier zone.
Digital archaeology and artificial intelligence
A central methodological focus lies on GIS-based spatial analysis, predictive modeling, machine learning, computer vision, 3D documentation, and the critical use of digital workflows for archaeological research and heritage documentation.
Heritage science and bioarchaeology
My work integrates archaeological materials, human and animal remains, radiocarbon dating, aDNA studies, museum collections, and long-term digital archiving to connect material culture, biological evidence, and data-centered heritage research.
Current positions
My current academic and professional roles connect Roman archaeology, museum collections management, heritage science, digital methods, and interdisciplinary research infrastructures.
Since 2026
Guest Researcher
Austrian Archaeological Institute (OeAI), Austrian Academy of Sciences (OeAW)
Principal Investigator
OeAW-funded Heritage Science Austria 2.0 project LEGION
AI-assisted heritage science, archaeological object documentation, and computer vision.
Since 2025
Archaeologist and Collection Curator of Roman Archaeology
State Collections of Lower Austria, Center for Museum Collections Management, University for Continuing Education Krems
Roman-period collections, archaeological documentation, and museum-based research infrastructure.
Since 2021
Member
Human Evolution and Archaeological Sciences research network
Interdisciplinary research network connecting archaeology, anthropology, life sciences, and archaeological science.
Since 2017
Lecturer
Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna
University teaching in archaeology, digital methods, funerary archaeology, and interdisciplinary research contexts.
Recent projects and funding
Recent and ongoing projects connect Roman provincial archaeology, digital heritage science, archaeological data infrastructures, bioarchaeology, spatial analysis, and the transformation of archaeological legacy data into reusable research resources.
Heritage science · AI · Archaeological objects
LEGION – AI-assisted classification of archaeological objects
Heritage Science Austria 2.0, Heritage_2024-12_LEGION, OeAI/OeAW and TU Wien, Principal Investigator, since 2026
LEGION, machine LEarninG-enabled Identification of archaeological Objects in the middle daNube river basin, develops machine learning-enabled workflows for the identification and analysis of archaeological objects in the middle Danube region, with a particular focus on pottery, legacy documentation, computer vision, and digitally assisted archaeological classification.
Focus: computer vision · pottery classification · archaeological documentation · digital heritage science · project website · TU Wien CVL
Roman infrastructure · GIS · Landscape archaeology
RIM – Roman Infrastructure Mapping in Pannonia
HRZZ Research Projects, IP-2025-02-1060, Institute of Archaeology Zagreb, Researcher, since 2026
RIM, Tracing the Empire’s Territorial Remnants and Infrastructural Systems in Pannonia: Roman Infrastructure Mapping, investigates Roman rural landscapes and infrastructure systems in eastern Croatia through GIS, remote sensing, aerial photography, and targeted field studies. By integrating spatial data, settlement case studies, and material culture analysis, it aims to reconstruct settlement organization, connectivity, and everyday life in Roman-period Slavonia.
Focus: Roman Pannonia · infrastructure systems · remote sensing · settlement organization · project website
Bioarchaeology · Infant mortality · Roman cemeteries
Gender-associated infant mortality in archaeological samples
FWF 1000 Ideas, TAI7949824, University of Vienna, Researcher, PI: Sylvia Kirchengast, since 2026
This project investigates whether gender-associated differences in infant and child mortality contributed to the marked female deficit observed in Roman-period cemeteries such as Ovilava/Wels. By combining aDNA sex determination, radiocarbon dating, dietary and disease indicators, and spatial burial analysis, it examines possible systematic disadvantages of female children in Roman society.
Focus: aDNA · radiocarbon dating · Roman cemeteries · childhood bioarchaeology · FWF Research Radar
Long-term archiving · Legacy data · Digital archaeology
IUENNA – Digital archaeology in the southern Jauntal micro-region
Go!Digital 3.0, kärnten.museum and OeAI/OeAW, together with Franziska Waldhart, Principal Investigator, completed 2025
IUENNA, openIng the soUthErn jauNtal as a micro-regioN for future Archaeology, was a long-term digital archiving project centered on the archaeological micro-region of Globasnitz/Iuenna. The project focused on sustainable data publication, archival workflows, and the transformation of heterogeneous archaeological legacy data into reusable research infrastructures.
Focus: FAIR data · archival workflows · Globasnitz/Iuenna · archaeological infrastructures · project blog · OeAI archive page
Archaeothanatology · Avar period · Vienna
VIENNAVARS – Early medieval Avar burial archaeology in Vienna
Hochschuljubiläumsfonds der Stadt Wien, University of Vienna, together with Sylvia Kirchengast and Birgit Bühler, Principal Investigator, running
VIENNAVARS, Visualization and Interpretation of the early medieval fEmale avar populatioN through archaeothaNAthology from Vienna/Austria (csokorgasse-buRialS), applies digital archaeothanatological and bioarchaeological approaches to early medieval Avar burial contexts in Vienna, linking archaeological documentation, biological evidence, and spatially structured cemetery analysis.
Focus: Avar-period Vienna · burial archaeology · bioarchaeology · digital visualization · PHAIDRA project page
Pottery analysis · Traismauer · Roman trade
CAPTA – Pottery composition and Roman trade networks at Augustianis
HEAS Seed Grant 10-2023, University of Vienna, together with Barbara Borgers, Principal Investigator, running
CAPTA, Comprehensive Analysis of Pottery Composition from Traismauer/Augustianis: Rethinking Roman Trade Networks, focuses on pottery composition analysis from Traismauer/Augustianis and contributes to the study of production, circulation, and material characterization in Roman-period assemblages from the Danube frontier region.
Focus: ceramic composition · Augustianis · Roman supply networks · material culture · HEAS Seed Grants
Academic background
Ph.D. 2022
In 2022, I obtained a Ph.D. degree with honors from the University of Vienna’s Doctoral School for Cultural and Historical Studies.
My thesis, Roman Rural Landscapes in Noricum: Archaeological Studies on Roman Settlements in the Hinterland of Northern Noricum, examined rural settlement structures, landscape organization, and long-term transformation processes in Northern Noricum.
Publications
Highlights
Selected publications are listed here as entry points into my current research profile. A full publication list is available through the external academic profiles linked above.
Hagmann, D., & Hoernes, M. (2026). Open digital data on funerary landscapes and settlement organisation in pre-Roman Apulia: Monte Sannace and Vaste. Journal of Open Archaeology Data, 14, Article 13. https://doi.org/10.5334/joad.209
An open archaeological dataset documenting funerary features from Monte Sannace and Vaste in relation to settlement organization and landscape context in pre-Roman Apulia.
Kirchengast, S., Bühler, B., & Hagmann, D. (2026). Sexual dimorphism in the association between status symbols and body height in the early medieval Avar population from the Csokorgasse burial ground (Vienna, Austria). Nature & Anthropology, 4(1), Article 10004. https://doi.org/10.70322/natanthropol.2026.10004
A bioarchaeological study of sexual dimorphism, body height, and the association between social status indicators and biological variation in the early medieval Avar-period population from Vienna-Csokorgasse.
Hagmann, D. (2025). A system of ups and downs: Roman rural landscapes in Northern Noricum. Journal of Roman Archaeology, 38(1), 79–116. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1047759425000066
A synthetic study of rural settlement dynamics, landscape organization, and long-term transformation processes in Northern Noricum. The article was selected as the Journal of Roman Archaeology’s Paper of the Month.
Hagmann, D. (2025). Home is where my villa is: A machine learning-based predictive suitability map for Roman features in Northern Noricum (ca. 50–500 CE/Lower Austria/AUT). Journal of Maps, 21(1), Article 2487444. https://doi.org/10.1080/17445647.2025.2487444
A machine learning-based predictive suitability map for Roman-period archaeological features in the hinterland of the Danube frontier.
Hagmann, D. (2025). I walk an ancient road: A straightforward methodology for analyzing intra- and inter-regional connectivity systems along Roman frontier zones (c. 1st–5th century AD). Journal of Archaeological Science, 176, Article 106151. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2024.106151
A methodological contribution to the analysis of intra- and interregional connectivity systems along Roman frontier zones.
Hagmann, D., Ankerl, B., Kirchengast, N. I., Cheronet, O., Greisinger, M., Miglbauer, R., & Kirchengast, S. (2024). Double feature: First genetic evidence of a mother-daughter double burial in Roman period Austria. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 55, Article 104479. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2024.104479
An interdisciplinary bioarchaeological study presenting genetic, osteological, and archaeological evidence from Roman-period Austria.
Teaching, public archaeology, and professional activities
My teaching, outreach, and professional activities connect university-based education, digital archaeological methods, public communication, museum work, and interdisciplinary research practice.
Teaching
University teaching at the University of Vienna on AI in interdisciplinary research, funerary archaeology, and digital methods in archaeological fieldwork.
The courses focus on methodological literacy, practical documentation workflows, archaeological interpretation, and the critical use of digital and AI-assisted approaches in research contexts.
Public archaeology
Public communication of archaeological research through museum, exhibition, collection, and archaeological heritage projects.
This includes the translation of archaeological data, fieldwork results, and object-based research into accessible formats for museums, exhibitions, lectures, outreach programs, and public-facing media.
Professional activities
Editorial work, peer review, conference organization, academic service, and interdisciplinary project development.
These activities support scholarly communication, collaborative research infrastructures, and the integration of archaeological expertise into broader academic and heritage-related contexts.
Award
Teaching Award 2024, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, for the digital archaeology course #excavation.
Recognition for teaching digital archaeological documentation and field-based methodological practice in a university context.
Contact
For academic correspondence, research collaborations, teaching-related inquiries, or questions concerning publications and projects, please feel free to get in touch.
ORCID · OeAI/OeAW · ResearchGate · Academia.edu · Google Scholar · University of Vienna
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4481-6234