Reschreiter H. et al, 2018, Keine Tüllenpickel im bronzezeitlichen Salzbergbau in Hallstatt! Aspekte der experimentellen Fertigung bronzezeitlicher Gezähe als Interpretationsbasis bergmännischer Spezialisierung, Experimentelle Archäologie in Europa, Heft 17, S.19-34 (original) (raw)

Keywords: Hallstatt, Mitterberg, mining, winged picks, socketed picks, reconstruction of casting techniques Schlagworte: Hallstatt, Mitterberg, Bergbau, Lappenpickel, Tüllenpickel, Rekonstruktion der Gusstechnik Aspects of experimental production of Bronze Age mining tools as interpretation base for specializing in mining. The salt mining in Hallstatt is characterized by a variety of special developments in the late Bronze Age. These are exclusively known in this mining area and are not employed in neighbouring contemporaneous copper deposits. This simultaneously applies to the question of hafting of the miners toolsets. In Hallstatt winged picks are predominantly used during the Bronze Age, whereas in the remaining Eastern Alpine area, as for example in Mitterberg, socketed haftings are deployed. Despite existing relations between the two areas, there is no technology transfer. In order to draw a comparison between these two contrasting types of toolsets, the production process of socketed and winged picks has been reconstructed in a number of archaeological experiments. The comparison shows that socket haftings require less time and work, as far as form production, casting technique, casting finishing and the production of haftings are concerned. Moreover, haftings for winged picks show various weak spots and are therefore considerably more fragile than socketed haftings. Why people in Hallstatt still opted for winged picks despite the easier production process of hafting picks, cannot be explained. The produced toolsets will be implemented in a follow-up project within a set of mining experiments and the thus resulting data will facilitate a more detailed comparison. (Text in German)