Martin Steskal

Martin Steskal is an Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Historical Archaeology at the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAI) in Vienna, Austria. He has led the "Historical Archaeology in the Mediterranean" research group since 2023 and serves as director of the Ephesus excavation since 2024. A graduate of Classical Archaeology and Ancient History from the University of Vienna, Steskal has participated annually in Ephesus excavations since 1999 and received his habilitation in Classical Archaeology in 2012.

• Current roles: Department Head, Ephesus excavation director
• ÖAW Turkey board member (since 2024)
• Deputy director of Ephesus excavation (since 2015)

Research Focus: Steskal specializes in death in antiquity, migration patterns, settlement archaeology, and Greek/Roman bathing culture. His work examines ancient government buildings, Roman Eastern provinces, and Hellenistic-Roman Croatia. Recent publications address Ephesian mortuary landscapes, hybrid Roman-Greek architectural forms, and bioavailable isotope mapping for mobility studies.

Key Publications (2025-2011) include bioarchaeological analyses of Ephesian burials, Roman infrastructure studies in Egypt, Late Antique art in Anatolia, and systematic research on Mediterranean funerary practices. His 2025 Scientific Reports article on the Octagon cranium in Ephesos represents ongoing paleoanthropological research.