This article discusses archaeological and historical data on sturgeon (Acipenseridaefamily) in the Danube River with special emphasis on the great sturgeon (Acipenser huso Linnaeus,1758 syn. Huso huso Brandt, 1869). Having established the complementary nature ofinformation offered by prehistoric and medieval fish bone finds and the written record, it emphasizesthat a multidisciplinary interpretive framework is indispensable in addressing ecologicaland economic questions involving traditional sturgeon exploitation, extinction and possiblereintroduction in the Danube. Prior to their extinction in the Danube, sturgeons were affectedby the sum of anthropogenic activities along the river’ s course, including increasing watertransport, overfishing and the construction of dams.