On April 2, 2025, the Vienna Museum presented its first research results and hypotheses on a mass grave discovered on the outskirts of Vienna, according to a report by Firmenpresse Science. A construction company had uncovered the remains during work on a sports field, which prompted extensive archaeological investigations. The grave held nearly 150 young soldiers from the Roman era, their bones piled in disorder.
Historical records showed that Vindobona—the Roman name for Vienna—had been established on Celtic territory as a border site against Germanic groups. The Romans later set up a larger military camp at Vindobona, from which the city developed. At that time, the Danube formed the northern border of the Roman Empire, placing the find in a period of military conflict.
Preliminary dating placed the remains in the first or second century CE, raising the possibility that they belonged to soldiers of the 13th Legion, which was later replaced by the 14th Legion. Researchers ruled out the possibility of a plague causing the deaths.
Investigations revealed that each skeleton showed at least one injury inflicted shortly before death. In one case, a soldier retained a spear tip embedded in his pelvic bone. Injuries from spears, daggers, swords, and bolt projectiles, along with items such as an iron dagger, a helmet fragment, and shoe nails, pointed to battle casualties.
“The mass grave in Simmering is the first physical evidence of combat from this period and points to the location of a battle in the area of present-day Vienna,” said Martin Mosser, the city archaeologist of Vienna, according to Firmenpresse Science. He added that Germanic tribes had defeated a Roman legion near modern Vienna in 92 CE, as noted by Süddeutsche Zeitung.
“They are young people who were slaughtered in the most brutal way,” said Michaela Kronberger, an archaeologist, according to Süddeutsche Zeitung. Further tests showed that the skeletons belonged almost entirely to large, otherwise healthy men aged between 20 and 30, with few signs of infectious diseases and good dental health, the report by Firmenpresse Science noted.
Skeleton finds in the European part of the Roman Empire had been rare because cremation was the prevailing custom until the third century CE. Historical sources reported that within decades a military camp, a civilian settlement to the southwest, and watchtowers on the Nussberg were established in Vindobona, which at times housed around 30,000 people.
“When opening pavement or soil, one is always prepared to encounter Roman traces in Vienna: after all, Vindobona laid the foundation of our city. Thanks to numerous archaeological excavations, we have assembled extensive knowledge, yet new finds continue to provide fresh insights. The team of City Archaeology Vienna is now able to trace the city history with growing precision. A true sensation is the find of a Roman mass grave in Simmering. This testimony allows us to view the beginnings of our city’s history from a different perspective and clarifies the importance of exhibiting, preserving, and researching in public museums,” said Veronica Kaup-Hasler, Vienna’s acting city councilor for culture and science.
Scientific investigations were led by the City Archaeology of Vienna in collaboration with Novetus GmbH, according to Firmenpresse Science. Curator Michaela Kronberger stated, “The Vienna team is still at the very beginning with its research. In the further course, within the framework of an international, interdisciplinary research project, further investigations of the human skeletal remains and finds will be carried out. Especially DNA and isotope analyses promise exciting results regarding the origin and living conditions of the soldiers buried in Hasenleitengasse,” according to Firmenpresse Science.
The article was written with the assistance of a news analysis system.
