Institute of Archaeology ZRC SAZU – Institutional Excellence Profile
The Institute of Archaeology at ZRC SAZU is a leading interdisciplinary research institution in the European Research Area, integrating archaeology with natural sciences, geosciences, digital technologies and advanced data infrastructures. The institute actively participates in Horizon Europe projects, serves as a partner institution in ERC-funded research, and contributes to multiple COST Actions, demonstrating strong international engagement, scientific excellence and collaboration capacity.
The institute covers the entire archaeological sequence of the southeastern Alps, including:
- Palaeolithic & Mesolithic (early occupation, mobility, stone tool technologies)
- Neolithic & Copper Age (wetland archaeology, farming communities, pile dwellings)
- Bronze & Iron Age (social organisation, connectivity, funerary practices, settlement systems)
- Roman period (epigraphy, military presence, communication routes)
- Late Antiquity & Early Middle Ages (landscape transformation, early Christianity, identity, burial archaeology)
Our teams employ state-of-the-art research methods: LiDAR-based remote sensing, GIS spatial modelling, 3D digital documentation, geophysics, archaeobotany, archaeozoology, bioarchaeology, palaeoecology and environmental analysis, enabling high-resolution understanding of past human–environment dynamics.
Ljubljansko barje (photo: M. Andrič)
A key component of our work is the research on the Ljubljana Marshes UNESCO World Heritage site, where we combine digital methodologies and natural-scientific analyses to investigate and preserve sensitive wetland cultural landscapes.
The institute also contributes to heritage education and community engagement. Through projects such as CHARYSMA, we develop innovative approaches to cultural heritage interpretation for young people using digital media, creative participatory tools and cross-border collaboration, supporting the objectives of the EU Youth Strategy 2021–2027.
We maintain and continuously enhance national archaeological data infrastructures – Arkas, Zbiva and Libera – ensuring long-term preservation, semantic interoperability and compliance with FAIR and Open Science principles. The institute also manages an extensive academic library and publishes Slovenia’s leading archaeological journal Arheološki vestnik, as well as the monograph series Opera Instituti Archaeologici Sloveniae and E-Monographiae, contributing significantly to archaeological scholarship in Slovenia and the wider region.
Through active involvement in international conferences, scientific networks and European research collaborations, the Institute of Archaeology ZRC SAZU plays a key role in shaping methodological, conceptual and technological developments in archaeology and cultural heritage across Europe.