Hostname: page-component-7c8c6479df-5xszh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-03-28T02:50:43.535Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Ancient salt-mining in Austria

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

Vincent Megaw
Affiliation:
Department of Archaeology, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide SA 5001, Australia, vincent.megaw@flinders.edu.au
Graham Morgan
Affiliation:
School of Archaeological Studies, University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester LE1 7RH, England, gcm@leicester.ac.uk
Thomas Stöllner
Affiliation:
Vorgeschichtliches Seminar der Philipps-Universität, Biegenstr. 11, D-35032 Marburg/Lahn, Germany, stoellne@mailer.uni-marburg.de

Extract

Above Hallein, 14 km south of Salzburg and at 800 m above sea level, the spa village of Heilbad Dürrnberg clusters around what until recently was a centre of commercial salt production. Its prehistoric roots overlapped with the hey-day of the well-known Hallstatt site, 40 km east. From c. 750-150 BC a community of perhaps 200 provided the labour force for the mines. It was clearly dangerous work; in 1573 and again in 1616 there are contemporary records of the discovery of the wellpreserved bodies of Iron Age miners while on the Dürrnberg as again at Hallstatt there are indications of serious landslides. As in historic times, the miners probably worked part-time only, in spring and autumn tending their pigs and cattle and pasture land. The wealth of this small settlement is clearly evidenced by the clusters of graves which surrounded the various rectangular houses.

Type
News and Notes
Copyright
Copyright © Antiquity Publications Ltd. 2000

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)