Open research questions in Ancient and Medieval Archaeology Studies

What the literature leaves open

• Yet, novel approaches evaluating the cultural impact of these migrations are lacking.

  New Approach to Prehistoric Migrations: Bayesian Chronological Modelling and Ceramic Technology shed new Light on the Emergence of Corded Ware · 2026 · DOI

• The materiality of stone in particular warrants attention in exploring the ways people respond to things as they conceptualize the past, present and future.

  Etched in stone? Exploring temporality through the itineraries of ten stone inscriptions from a Roman frontier fort in Wales · 2026 · DOI

• Drawing on wider evidence for the flow of people and things in this region we build a broader multi-dimensional account of how people, objects, and practices moved in a period of diverse lifeways in which the makeup of human mobility is not well understood.

  What Rivers Did: a Study of if and how Rivers Shaped Later Prehistoric Lives in Britain and Beyond · 2024 · DOI

• The study faced challenges in terms of the limited availability of data. The study faced challenges in terms of the complexity of the typological classification.

  Medieval ranged weapons from the Vaganovo-1 burial mound in the Kuznetsk Cis-Salair Region · 2026 · DOI

• There is a lack of comprehensive analysis of the ranged weapons found at the Vaganovo-1 burial mound. There is a need to consider the typological diversity of medieval ranged weapons.

  Medieval ranged weapons from the Vaganovo-1 burial mound in the Kuznetsk Cis-Salair Region · 2026 · DOI

• The lack of reliable historical sources limited the study's ability to reconstruct the contemporary model of demonic entities. The analysis of folk narratives and geographical data may not be representative of the entire region. The study's findings may not be generalizable to other regions or cultures.

  Geoinformatyka w badaniach nad identyfikacją słowiańskich miejsc kultu – przykład polskich Karpat · 2026 · DOI

• The lack of reliable historical sources has hindered progress in the study of Slavic cult places in the Polish Carpathians. The need for an interdisciplinary approach to better understand the region's cultural heritage. The lack of a comprehensive understanding of the relationship between the geographical environment and the distribution of cults and beliefs.

  Geoinformatyka w badaniach nad identyfikacją słowiańskich miejsc kultu – przykład polskich Karpat · 2026 · DOI

• Further research could focus on other archaeozoological finds from the same period. The paper's findings could be compared to those from other cities and regions.

  Pheasants, salted herrings, crayfish and other archaeozoological finds from three early modern cesspits on Národní třída in Prague · 2026 · DOI

• There is a lack of research on the archaeozoological finds from early modern cesspits in Prague. The paper aims to fill this gap by providing new insights into the diet and waste management of the population.

  Pheasants, salted herrings, crayfish and other archaeozoological finds from three early modern cesspits on Národní třída in Prague · 2026 · DOI

• The paper identifies the need to analyze the crafts of the Turobin Entailed Estate in the first half of the 17th century. The study fills the gap in the historical context of the city's growth and decline.

  The Crafts of the Turobin Entailed Estate in the First Half of the 17th Century · 2026 · DOI

• Future research should focus on the analysis of additional burials attributed to the Złota culture. The study suggests that further investigation of the Globular Amphora and Corded Ware cultures could provide valuable insights into the complexity and variability of Eneolithic funerary traditions.

  Diverse deathscapes · 2026 · DOI

• The research highlights the need for more nuanced and contextualized approaches to the analysis of ancient funerary practices.

  Diverse deathscapes · 2026 · DOI

• Spatial coverage could be expanded in underrepresented massif sectors. Denser sampling would refine landscape-scale reconstructions. The pollen-to-vegetation modelling depends on parameter choices that would benefit from further sensitivity analysis and broader modern calibration datasets.

  Petr Pokorný – Petr Šída (eds.): Hinterland. Archeologie severočeských pískovcových krajin. Kodudek, Praha 2025. · 2026 · DOI

• The study highlights the need for a multi-proxy approach to integrate archaeological and environmental data. The authors note the importance of considering the region's unique history and ecology in conservation and management decisions.

  Petr Pokorný – Petr Šída (eds.): Hinterland. Archeologie severočeských pískovcových krajin. Kodudek, Praha 2025. · 2026 · DOI

• The difficulty of confirming the hypothesis that these tools were used in metallurgical activities. The need to consider the context of discovery when interpreting the function of archaeological artefacts.

  Stone grooved hammers from the Šumperk region in North Moravia and their possible association with metallurgical activity in the Late Bronze Age · 2026 · DOI

• It highlights the need to balance scientific synthesis with essayistic reflection and philosophical commentary.

  Jan Turek: První Evropané. Archeologie počátků evropské identity. Academia, Praha 2026. · 2026 · DOI

• It highlights the need for a more nuanced understanding of the Neolithic period and its transformative processes.

  Jan Turek: První Evropané. Archeologie počátků evropské identity. Academia, Praha 2026. · 2026 · DOI

• The preservation of Palaeolithic sites is often incomplete. The distribution of finds in the preserved occupation surface's peripheral zones is incomplete. There is a lack of understanding of the spatial organisation of Gravettian occupation layers.

  Reflections on the spatial organisation of a Gravettian occupation layer at Krems-Wachtberg · 2026 · DOI

• Further excavations are needed to fully understand the archaeological context of the site. The research highlights the need for careful planning and excavation techniques to conserve and manage the site.

  The Archaeological Site Negrilești - Schoolyard, from Galați County. The Preventive Research at the „Manor” Point · 2026 · DOI

• The paper identifies a gap in the existing research on the customs associated with geese among the Bashkirs, highlighting the need for further study and analysis. The study notes that there is a lack of understanding of the significance of these customs in the daily and ritual practice of the Bashkir population.

  Koduhanedega seotud baškiiri rituaalid: traditsioonid ja uuendused · 2026 · DOI

• The economic activities of Anabaptist communities have not been extensively examined in prior work. The study aims to fill this gap by exploring the economic administration and property transactions of Anabaptist settlements.

  On Economic Aspects of the Life of the Moravian Anabaptists in the 16th and Early 17th Centuries · 2026 · DOI

• Further analysis of the skeletal material could provide more information about the soldiers. The study of the written monastery records could provide more context about the burial ground.

  Excavations of Prussian Soldiers' Burial Ground at the Břevnov Monastery : Preliminary Report · 2026 · DOI

• The research was limited to a small area of the site (300 square meters). The excavations were conducted over a short period (between May and October 2024).

  The Archaeological Site Negrilești - Schoolyard, from Galați County. The Preventive Research at the „Manor” Point · 2026 · DOI

• The study of burial practices and associated finds suggests that this population did not belong to the classical Przeworsk culture. The appearance of the community that created the Kariv cemetery is linked to the Marcomannic Wars in the Middle Danube region.

  The Pottery Complex of the Roman-Period Cemetery Kariv I in the Western Buh Region · 2026 · DOI

• Further excavation and analysis of the Krems-Wachtberg site. Study of other Gravettian sites in eastern Austria. Analysis of the spatial organisation of other Palaeolithic occupation layers.

  Reflections on the spatial organisation of a Gravettian occupation layer at Krems-Wachtberg · 2026 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Ancient and Medieval Archaeology Studies

• Theory and Experiment in the Study of Technological Change · Current Anthropology · 1987 · 279 citations
• Daily Practice and Social Memory at Çatalhöyük · American Antiquity · 2004 · 210 citations
• ‘Always momentary, fluid and flexible’: towards a reflexive excavation methodology · Antiquity · 1997 · 160 citations
• The Residues of Feasting and Public Ritual at Early Cahokia · American Antiquity · 2002 · 138 citations
• Upper Palaeolithic fibre technology: interlaced woven finds from Pavlov I, Czech Republic, c. 26,000 years ago · Antiquity · 1996 · 109 citations
• The use of forensic botany and geology in war crimes investigations in NE Bosnia · Forensic Science International · 2006 · 90 citations
• Khirigsuurs, ritual and mobility in the Bronze Age of Mongolia · Antiquity · 2005 · 66 citations
• A Palaeolithic ‘Pompeii’ at Kostenki, Russia · Antiquity · 2003 · 52 citations
• Birth and death: infant burials from Vlasac and Lepenski Vir · Antiquity · 2004 · 47 citations
• The Kostënki 18 child burial and the cultural and funerary landscape of Mid Upper Palaeolithic European Russia · Antiquity · 2017 · 38 citations

Most recent work

• A large mass grave from the Early Iron Age indicates selective violence towards women and children in the Carpathian Basin · Nature Human Behaviour · 2026
• Revisiting early medieval chronologies: radiocarbon dates reveal the origins and history of the Carolingian-age Great Moravian hillforts · Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences · 2026
• Bronze Age funerary practices in the Khaybar oasis, Northwest Arabia · Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences · 2026
• Origin and Function of Bitumen-Coated Torpedo Jars from the Sasanian to Early Islamic Period Fort of Fulayj in Oman · Molecules · 2026
• Die Verwendung von Helgoländer Flint in der Stein- und Bronzezeit · University Library Heidelberg · 2026
• The Middle Chalcolithic Settlement Pattern in the Highlands of the Northern Central Taurus: Formation of Early Complex Socio-Political Organization · Journal of Field Archaeology · 2026
• New Approach to Prehistoric Migrations: Bayesian Chronological Modelling and Ceramic Technology shed new Light on the Emergence of Corded Ware · Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society · 2026
• A Middle Copper Age hunters' camp at Hajdúböszörmény-Ficsori-tó-dűlő, northeastern Hungary · Archaeologiai Értesítő · 2026
• The Unusual Construction of Kurgans of the Scythian Elite from the 4th Century BC in a Burial Ground near the Village of Vodoslavka in the Northern Sivash Region (Ukraine) · Arts · 2026
• Medieval ranged weapons from the Vaganovo-1 burial mound in the Kuznetsk Cis-Salair Region · VESTNIK ARHEOLOGII ANTROPOLOGII I ETNOGRAFII · 2026

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