Josef Keil (b. 1878 in Reichenberg, now Liberec in northern Bohemia in the Czech Republic - d. 1963 in Vienna) was an Austrian historian, epigrapher and an archaeologist.

He began in 1904 as a scientific secretary at the Österreichischen Archäologischen Instituts in Smyrna, now Izmir, Turkey. He excavated archaeological sites in Asia Minor particularly in Lydia. He led the excavations in Ephesus. He was a professor at Greifswald from 1927 to 1936, Vienna from 1936 to 1945. From 1945, he became a Secretary General of Österreichischen Akademie der Wikssenschaften , the Austrian Academy of Sciences until 1949. From 1949 to 1956, he was the directof of the Österreichen Archäologischen Instituts with Otto Walter and Fritz Eichler.

Works

Numerous publications of inscriptions from Ephesus especially in Jahresheften des Österreichischen Archäologischen Instituts .

• Ephesos. Ein Führer durch die Ruinenstätte und ihre Geschichte , Vienna, 1915
• Drei Berichte über Reisen in Lydien und weiteren Gebieten , Three reports over journeys in Lydia and other areas (with Anton von Premerstein ), Vienna, 1908, 1911, 1914

Reference

• G. Wlach , 100 Jahre Österreichisches Archäologisches Institut 1898-1998 , the 100 years of the Austrian Archaeological Institure 1898-1998, Vienna 1998, p. 111