IUENNA
openIng the soUthErn jauNtal as a micro-regioN for future Archaeology
Project Overview
IUENNA was an innovative initiative that advanced digital methods in Austrian archaeology. By addressing complex cultural-historical questions, actively shaping Digital Humanities in Classical Studies, and ensuring long-term preservation of cultural heritage, IUENNA fostered sustainable knowledge management.
The project focused on the archaeological micro-region of the Jauntal (Carinthia, Austria) and was funded by the Austrian Academy of Sciences' Go!Digital 3.0 program.
Project Leadership
The IUENNA project was coordinated by Dr. Dominik Hagmann (kärnten.museum) and Dipl.-Ing. Franziska Waldhart (Austrian Archaeological Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences). Both brought significant expertise in archaeology and digital humanities to the project, ensuring a robust and sustainable implementation.
IUENNA Collection Dashboard
The IUENNA collection consolidated over a century of archaeological research. Below are live dashboard metrics reflecting the curated collection resources based on the open geodata.
Status: 2025-04-04 (Updated: 2026-06-14)
Subjects (n = 0)
Distribution of different categories (subjects) across all resources.
Coverage (Locations) (n = 0)
Distribution of all resources across different spatial locations.
File Formats (n = 0)
Breakdown of file types (e.g., .tif, .jpg, .gpkg) used in the dataset across all resources.
IUENNA Collection Details
The IUENNA collection was the first initiative of its kind in Austria, consolidating research spanning far over 100 years from more than 200 archaeological sites, primarily (but not exclusively) in the Jauntal/Podjuna Valley, Carinthia. In the course of the IUENNA project, every feasible effort was made to digitize and preserve as much available material as possible. This included over 20,000 items—excavation reports, geophysical surveys, 3D models, and retro-digitized archives—ensuring their long-term accessibility for future research.
The data is organized into six semantically defined subcollections: Hemmaberg (HB), Globasnitz (GLO), Jaunstein (JAU), Sankt Stefan (STE), Jauntal (TAL), and Retrodigitalisate (RET). These subcollections feature a detailed and reusable file folder structure for comprehensive data management. Each resource is enriched with freely accessible, globally available, detailed, machine-readable metadata in adherence to the FAIR and CARE principles.
Project Framework
The IUENNA project was a collaboration among:
- State Museum for Carinthia (kärnten.museum)
- Austrian Archaeological Institute (ÖAI)
- Austrian Center for Digital Humanities and Cultural Heritage (ACDH-CH)
- Federal Monuments Authority (BDA)
- ARDIG – Archäologischer Dienst GesmbH
Through a comprehensive open-science approach, IUENNA established a model study for the long-term digital preservation of archaeological data and cultural insights.
Collaborative Artificial Intelligence & Web Development
The creation and continuous optimization of this web presence were realized using modern Generative AI (GenAI) tools and pioneering development paradigms such as Vibe Coding. In this approach, humans act as creative directors collaborating with AI systems to build complex code architectures efficiently, bypassing manual routine programming.
The agentic AI coding assistant framework Google Antigravity (powered by Gemini 3.5 Flash) served as the technical backbone. Operating as an autonomous co-pilot, Antigravity analyzed the repository, designed the unified styling system, and carried out the technical consolidation of the web pages. This synergy between archaeological expertise and agentic AI support showcases new, future-oriented workflows in the Digital Humanities.
Key Points Regarding Our Use of GenAI:
- Human-AI Collaboration: AI models assisted in designing the user interface, cleaning up redundant stylesheets, and implementing the autocomplete filter.
- Academic Oversight: All AI-assisted code structures and textual content were reviewed, validated, and approved by the project leadership.
- Transparency: We are committed to openly disclosing and documenting the use of digital assistants in our research workflows.
For inquiries or concerns about our use of GenAI, feel free to contact us at dominik.hagmann@univie.ac.at.
References
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- Cobb, P. J. (2023). Large language models and generative AI, oh my!: Archaeology in the time of ChatGPT, Midjourney, and beyond. Advances in Archaeological Practice, 11(3), 363–369. https://doi.org/10.1017/aap.2023.20
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- Hagmann, D., & Reiner, F. (2023). openIng the soUthErn jauNtal as a micro-regioN for future Archaeology: A «para-description». Peer Community Journal, 3, Article e120. https://doi.org/10.24072/pcjournal.338
- Meske, C., Hermanns, T., Von Der Weiden, E., Loser, K.-U., & Berger, T. (2025). Vibe coding as a reconfiguration of intent mediation in software development: Definition, implications, and research agenda. IEEE Access, 13, 213242–213259. https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2025.3645466
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- Tenzer, M., Pistilli, G., Brandsen, A., & Shenfield, A. (2024). Debating AI in archaeology: Applications, implications, and ethical considerations. Internet Archaeology, 67. https://doi.org/10.11141/ia.67.8
- Zoldoske, T. (2024). Metadata for discovery: Planning for an information network. Internet Archaeology, 65. https://doi.org/10.11141/ia.65.6
- Zubrow, E. (2024). A prolegomenon on archaeological complexity and disorganization: Fragmentation and missing data. Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory, 31(2), 689–706. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10816-023-09636-3