ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH AT THE BRONZE AGE AND EARLY IRON AGE CEMETERY NEAR KOGELBERG HILL IN UPPER AUSTRIA DURING WORLD WAR II

This paper examines the archaeological activities carried out between 1940 and 1944 by prisoners of the German Nazi concentration camp Gusen, focusing on the excavations conducted at the ruins of Spielberg Castle and the Bronze and Early Iron Age cemetery discovered near Kogelberg Hill in Upper Austria. Although undertaken under conditions of extreme coercion and violence, these works resulted in exceptionally detailed documentation, which today constitutes a unique source for the study of prehistoric communities in the Danube region. Archival materials preserved in the State Archaeological Museum in Warsaw and in Viennese collections include excavation records, sketches, photographic albums, and artefacts collected by prisoners assigned to the Spielberg Commando, Kogelberg Commando, and the Museum SS Gusen unit. At Kogelberg, approximately 200 graves were investigated, including inhumations, cremations, and one biritual burial. The assemblages – ceramics, bronze weapons, ornaments, and distinctive vessel types – indicate the use of the site from the Middle Bronze Age through the early phases of the Urnfield Culture, with occasional later intrusions. Particularly notable are objects reflecting both strongly local stylistic traditions and eastern influences linked to Carpathian and Noua cultural spheres. The work of the Museum SS Gusen commando resulted not only in the conservation and exhibition of the finds within the camp but also in the preparation of several internally published volumes documenting the excavation results. The study highlights both the scientific importance of the prehistoric materials and the extraordinary circumstances of their recovery. The archaeological commandos provided prisoners with relative protection, while their meticulous work ensured the preservation of evidence from a burial ground likely destroyed during wartime construction. This unique intersection of archaeology and coercion offers rare insight into both prehistoric Upper Austria and the lived experience of prisoners who used archaeological labour as a means of survival.