Archaeologist Sabine Ladstatter passed away at the age of 55

Sabine Ladstätter, who led the excavations in Ephesus for 14 years, has died after a long, serious illness.

Recently, archaeologist Sabine Ladstätter handed over the management of the traditional excavations in the ancient city of Ephesus (Turkey) to Martin Steskal (50) after 14 years. In a press release, the "Scientist of the Year 2011" was pleased to "now be able to devote herself again to my passion, ceramic research". The Carinthian native no longer had the opportunity to do so: the renowned researcher died after a long, serious illness at the age of 55.

The daughter of former state parliament member Fritz Schretter, who was to become an archaeologist after a school trip to Magdalensberg, studied "Classical Archaeology" and "Ancient History" in Graz and Vienna, researched the Slavic roots of her homeland as a student and has taken part in the excavations in Ephesus every year since 1996. She was supposed to take over the management of the Asian Aegean coast in 2007, but the Klagenfurt native first had to convince the Turkish Minister of Culture of her abilities and her impeccable worldview.

After she was appointed the new director of the Austrian Archaeological Institute in 2009 - the first woman to hold the position - she finally became the head of excavations in Turkey in 2010: "Ephesus was a central place in human history. This applies, for example, to religious and intellectual history. One must not forget that the city - one of the largest in the Roman Empire - was a central place of Christianity and Islam in addition to its important pagan sanctuaries. There is no other place where Austrians work that has anything like this importance," she once said. Spectacular discoveries were made under her leadership, for example an early Byzantine city district was uncovered in 2022.

During the pandemic, Ladstätter carried out excavations on the Hemmaberg in Carinthia, about which she once wrote her dissertation, instead of in Ephesus. But the mother of one daughter was also involved in the redesign of the kärnten.museum and most recently served on the museum's board of trustees. In an interview with the Kleine Zeitung, Ladstätter, who was honored with the Grand Decoration of Honour of the Province of Carinthia in 2013, said: "My archaeological heart remained on the Hemmaberg, with my brain I went to Ephesus." The archaeologist leaves significant traces in both places.