Palaeolithic Archaeology Group

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Philip R. Nigst

Philip R Nigst is a Palaeolithic archaeologist with an enthusiasm for fieldwork. His research covers the archaeology of human evolution and focuses currently on Neanderthal and modern human behaviour and adaptations in Central and Eastern Europe. Philip’s key research themes include the ecology of Neanderthal and modern human technological organisation, mobility, horizontal cultural transmission, lithic technology, chronostratigraphy, use of space and site formation processes at Neanderthal and modern human sites in western Eurasia. He is currently engaged in field projects focussing on Neanderthal and modern human adaptations in Central and Eastern Europe.

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  • 2021 – present, Geoarchaeological and palaeoclimatic studies at Grub-Kranawetberg (Land Niederösterreich, Abteilung Wissenschaft & Forschung, K3-F-530/005-2021)
  • 2016 – 2018, Neandertal Occupation in Eastern Europe: Neporotovo 7 and Molodova V as case studies (British Academy/Leverhulme Trust Small Grant 2016)
  • 2016 – 2018, PALMOBI - Early Upper Palaeolithic mobility and technological decision-making under changing environmental constraints: case studies from Belgium and Romania (Host Scientist for European Comission Horizon 2020 Marie Skłodowska Curie Grant, Funded Researcher: Luc Moreau)
  • 2015 – 2017, PleisTechnoVar - Technological variability during the Late Pleistocene in Eastern Africa: lithic assemblages as indirect witnesses of past population dynamics (Host Scientist for European Comission Horizon 2020 Marie Skłodowska Curie Grant, Funded Researcher: Alice Leplongeon)
  • 2013 – 2016, Neanderthal and Modern Human Adaptations in Eastern Europe (Isaac Newton Trust Matching Funding, Spring 2013 cycle)
  • 2012 – 2016, Neanderthal and Modern Human Adaptations in Eastern Europe NEMO-ADAP (European Commission FP7 Marie Curie Career Integration Grant)
  • 2012 – 2013, Exploring the Middle and Upper Paleolithic of western Ukraine (Leakey Foundation Research Grant)
  • 2011 – 2012, Continued excavations at Willendorf II, Austria (Leakey Foundation Research Grant)
  • 2009 – 2010, Continued excavations at Willendorf II, Austria (Leakey Foundation Research Grant)
  • 2006 – 2007, New excavations at Willendorf II, Austria (Leakey Foundation Research Grant)

Highlights:

Murphree, W. C., Ferro‐Vázquez, C., Kulakovska, L., Usyk, V. I., Kononenko, O., Bosch, M. D., Haesaerts, P., Damblon, F., Pirson, S., Nigst, P. R., & Aldeias, V. (2025). Fire Use During the Last Glacial Maximum: Evidence From the Epigravettian at Korman’ 9, Middle Dniester Valley, Ukraine. Geoarchaeology, 40(2), e70006. 10.1002/gea.70006

Bosch, M. D., Pirson, S., Damblon, F., Jambrina-Enríquez, M., Mallol, C., Pryor, A., Murphree, W. C., Viola, B. T., Antl-Weiser, W., & Nigst, P. R. (2025). A First Look at the Gravettian Open-Air Site Ollersdorf-Heidenberg (Austria): Recent Fieldwork and First Results on Stratigraphy, Chronology, Organic Preservation and Combustion Activity. Journal of Paleolithic Archaeology, 8, 10. 10.1007/s41982-025-00210-9

Nigst, P. R., Antl-Weiser, W., & Bosch, M. D. (2024). Exploring the Surrounding of a Gravettian Site. The Case Study Grub-Kranawetberg, Austria. Archaeologia Austriaca, Band 108/2024, 201-224. https://doi.org/10.1553/archaeologia108s201

Usyk, V. I., Gerasimenko, N., Garba, R., Damblon, F., & Nigst, P. R. (2023). Exploring the Potential of the Middle and Upper Palaeolithic Site Korolevo II (Ukraine): New Results on Stratigraphy, Chronology and Archaeological Sequence. Journal of Paleolithic Archaeology, 6(1), 16. 10.1007/s41982-023-00144-0

Nigst, P. R., & Bosch, M. D. (2021). Exploring diversity of hunter-gatherer behaviour in the European Mid-Upper Palaeolithic: The Gravettian assemblages of Willendorf II and Mitoc-Malu Galben as case studies.  In O. Touzé, N. Goutas, H. Salomon, & P. Noiret (Eds.), Les sociétés gravettiennes du Nord-Ouest européen : nouveaux sites, nouvelles données, nouvelles lectures / Gravettian societies in North-western Europe: new sites, new data, new readings (pp. 287-307). Presses Universitaires de Liège. 

Sikora, M., Seguin-Orlando, A., Sousa, V. C., Albrechtsen, A., Korneliussen, T., Ko, A., Rasmussen, S., Dupanloup, I., Nigst, P. R., Bosch, M. D., Renaud, G., Allentoft, M. E., Margaryan, A., Vasilyev, S. V., Veselovskaya, E. V., Borutskaya, S. B., Deviese, T., Comeskey, D., Higham, T., Manica, A., Foley, R., Meltzer, D. J., Nielsen, R., Excoffier, L., Mirazon Lahr, M., Orlando, L., & Willerslev, E. (2017). Ancient genomes show social and reproductive behavior of early Upper Paleolithic foragers. Science, 358(6363), 659-662. 10.1126/science.aao1807

Nigst, P. R., Haesaerts, P., Damblon, F., Frank-Fellner, C., Mallol, C., Viola, B., Götzinger, M., Niven, L., Trnka, G., & Hublin, J.-J. (2014). Early modern human settlement of Europe north of the Alps occurred 43,500 years ago in a cold steppe-type environment. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(40), 14394-14399. 10.1073/pnas.1412201111

Nigst, P. R. (2012). The Early Upper Palaeolithic of the Middle Danube Region. Leiden University Press.

  • 2025–present  Associate Professor, Department of Prehistoric and Historical Archaeology, University of Vienna, Austria
  • 2021–2025  Assistant Professor, Department of Prehistoric and Historical Archaeology, University of Vienna, Austria
  • 2015–2021  Lecturer (post-probation, Associate Professor equivalent) in Palaeolithic Archaeology, Department of Archaeology & Anthropology, University of Cambridge, UK
  • 2015–2017  Director of Studies in Archaeology & Biological Anthropology, Corpus Christi College, University of Cambridge, UK
  • 2011–2015  Lecturer (pre-probation, Assistant Professor equivalent) in Palaeolithic Archaeology - Department of Archaeology & Anthropology, University of Cambridge, UK
  • 2010–2016  Post-Doctoral Researcher - Department of Human Evolution, Max-Planck-Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
  • 2009  Research Assistant, Department of Human Evolution, Max-Planck-Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
  • 2009  Research Assistant, Institut für Ur- und Frühgeschichte, University of Vienna, Austria
  • 2005–2009  Pre-Doctoral Fellow, Department of Human Evolution, Max-Planck-Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
  • 2004–2010  Part-time Lecturer in Palaeolithic Archaeology, Institut für Ur- und Frühgeschichte, University of Vienna, Austria
  • 2004  Teaching Assistant, Institut für Ur- und Frühgeschichte, University of Vienna, Austria

  • 2005–2009  PhD, Max-Planck-Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology and University of Leipzig, Germany
  • 1995–2003  MA, University of Vienna, Austria