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Open Journal of Archaeometry 2013; volume 1:e25 Prehistoric copper tetrahedrite) and chalcopyrite ores were mined and smelted and the metal produced Correspondence: Joachim Lutz, Curt-Engelhorn- from the Eastern Alps was distributed over large distances. In the last Zentrum Archäometrie gGmbH, Besucheradresse years, substantial archaeometallurgical D6, 68159 Mannheim, Germany. Joachim Lutz,1 Ernst Pernicka1,2 resarch has been carried out in the frame of Tel. +49.0621.2938949 - Fax: +49.0621.2938956. E-mail: [email protected] 1Curt-Engelhorn-Zentrum Archäometrie the ongoing Special Research Program History 2 gGmbH, Mannheim; Universität of Mining Activities in the Tyrol and Adjacent Key words: archaeometallurgy, provenance, Tübingen, Institut für Ur- und Areas - Impact on Environment & Human Eastern Alps, copper, ore deposits. Frühgeschichte und Archäologie des Societies (Oeggl et al., 2008) funded by the Mittelalters, Tübingen, Germany Austrian Fonds zur Förderung der wis- Acknowledgments: we thank Michael Brauns, senschaftlichen Forschung (FWF). There are Bernd Höppner and Thorsten Schifer (all Curt- several phases of copper production in the Engelhorn-Zentrum Archäometrie, Mannheim) Eastern Alps distinguishable: an initial of for carrying out isotope and neutron activation analyses. We are also indebted to Gerhard Tomedi extractive metallurgy at the end of the Abstract (Universität Innsbruck, Institut für Neolithic and in the Early Bronze Age, an Archäologien) and Walter Stephan (Museum almost industrial copper production in the The rich copper ore deposits in the Eastern Fliess) for access to prehistoric copper and Middle and Late Bronze Age, and a decline of bronze objects and to Robert Pils (Verein Alps have long been considered as important copper mining in the Early Iron Age. Montandenkmal Arthurstollen, Bischofshofen) sources for copper in prehistoric Central Europe. The most important ore deposits in North and Franz Vavtar (Universität Innsbruck, Institut It is, however, not so clear which role each Tyrol, Salzburg and Styria occur in a belt of für Mineralogie und Petrographie) for supporting deposit played. To evaluate the amount of pre- the field survey and sampling of ores. This project paleozoic sedimentary rocks, the Greywacke historic copper production of the various mining was funded by the Fonds zur Förderung der wis- Zone. Well known prehistoric mining areas regions it was attempted to link prehistoric senschaftlichen Forschung (FWF), Vienna, belonging to this zone are (from west to east) Austria. metal artefacts with copper ores based on the Schwaz and Brixlegg in the lower Inn valley geochemical characteristics of the ore deposits (Rieser and Schrattenthaler, 2000), the Citation: Lutz J, Pernicka E, 2013. Prehistoric that have been exploited in ancient times. More Kitzbühel district (Pittioni and Preuschen, copperonly from the Eastern Alps. In: RH Tykot (ed.) , than 120 ore samples from the well known min- 1937; Goldenberg, 2004), Viehhofen in the Proceedings of the 38th International Symposium th th ing districts Mitterberg, Viehhofen, Kitzbühel Glemmtal, the Mitterberg district south of on Archaeometry – May 10 -14 2010, Tampa, Florida. Open Journal of Archaeometry 1:e25. and Schwaz/Brixlegg have been analysed so far Salzburg (Zschocke and Preuschen, 1932; (lead isotope ratios, trace elements). use Eibner, 1994) and further to the east mining th Furthermore, about 730 archaeological Presented at the 38 International Symposium on districts in the Eisenerzer Alps and Lower Archaeometry – May 10th-14th 2010, Tampa, copper/bronze artifacts were investigated and Austria (Figure 1). In the past most geochemi- Florida. analysed. These results were combined with cal and mineralogical investigations focused analytical data generated by previous on the mining areas of Schwaz and Brixlegg This work is licensed under a Creative Commons archaeometallurgical projects in order to com- due to their historical importance for metal Attribution 3.0 License (by-nc 3.0). pile a substantial database for comparative stud- production in more recent times beginning in ©Copyright J. Lutz and E. Pernicka., 2013 ies. In the Early Bronze Age, most metal artifacts the 15th century AD. Contrary to these areas in were made of copper or bronze with fahlore Licensee PAGEPress, Italy North Tyrol, almost no modern analytical data Open Journal of Archaeometry 2013; 1:e25 impurity patterns and most finds from this peri- [instrumental neutron activation analysis doi:10.4081/arc.2013.e25 od match excellently the fahlore deposits in (INAA), laser ablation-inductively coupled Schwaz and Brixlegg. At the end of the Early plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), lead iso- Bronze Age, a new variety of copper with lower topes] were available from the other important concentrations of impurities appeared. The piled during the research at the mining areas mentioned above. We started Württembergisches Landesmuseum Stuttgart impurity patterns of these finds match the ores sampling and characterisation of ores with the (Junghans et al., 1964, 1968). From the Middle from the Mitterberg district. In the Middle most important and well known copper ore Bronze Age and Early Iron Age only few analyses Bronze Age, this variety of copper Dominated deposits in North Tyrol and Salzburg, all have been published yet. It was the second focus while in the Late Bronze Age fahloresNon-commercial from belonging to the Greywacke Zone (Schwaz/ of our research to analyse bronze objects espe- Schwaz and Brixlegg experienced a comeback. Brixlegg, Kitzbühel-Kelchalm, Mitterberg). cially from the Middle Bronze Age and the Early The reason for this may be a decline of the chal- From these deposits sufficient analytical data Iron Age to close these gaps in chronology and copyrite mines or a rising demand for copper has been compiled in the last years to estimate to compile a substantial database for the East which could not be covered by the chalcopyrite their relevance in prehistory. Analyses of sam- mines alone. The finds of the Early Iron Age are ples from Viehhofen and some other ore occur- Alpine region with analyses of finds from the of similar composition and continue the tradi- rences are in progress, but not finished yet. beginning of metallurgy in the Neolithic up to tions of the Late Bronze Age. In contrast, a substantial data base of analy- the Early Iron Age. ses is available for mainly Late Bronze Age arti- facts from North Tyrol, Salzburg and southern Bavaria which was compiled during a research Introduction project of the Volkswagen foundation (Sperber, Geology and ore mineralogy 2004). Preliminary investigations on artifacts In prehistoric times the copper deposits in from the late Neolithic period also exist The Greywacke Zone is an E-W trending belt the Eastern Alps were mined on a large scale. (Höppner et al., 2005). A larger number of of Paleozoic sedimentary rocks in the Austrian This is documented by numerous mines and chemical analyses of Early Bronze Age objects Alps between the Northern Calcareous Alps remains of extractive metallurgy like furnaces exist from southern Bavaria. These data were and the Central Eastern Alps. The unit consists and slags. Especially fahlores (tennantite- obtained with emission spectroscopy and com- of Paleozoic sediments (turbidites, greywackes [page 122] [Open Journal of Archaeometry 2013; volume 1:e25] Technology & Provenance - Metals and limestones) of Ordovician to Devonian age sory minerals in chalcopyrite ores from the Lead isotope ratios of ores from the and of mafic volcanic rocks of Mitterberg district, the concentrations of Greywacke Zone show a large variation (espe- Cambrian/Ordovician age. These rocks are rel- arsenic, cobalt and nickel are higher compared cially the Mitterberg main lode) due to low lead atively soft and prone to weathering. In the with the ores from Kitzbühel-Kelchalm (Figure contents combined with occasionally high ura- western Oberinntal Valley near the Arlberg 3). In contrast, the Kelchalm samples contain nium concentrations. For this reason, it is dif- Mountain, the Greywacke Zone forms only a more bismuth and selenium than ores from ficult to establish a connection between metal narrow strip, but then widens to the east to the Mitterberg. There are also some differ- objects and the deposits only with lead isotope include large parts of the Tux Alps, the ences in trace element concentrations ratios. The lead of syngenetic ores from the Kitzbühl Alps and the Salzburg Slate between the Mitterberg veins. For example, Mitterberg region (Winkel-, Buchberg-, Mountains. Further to the east it runs along the Brander lode contains more cobalt and Brander-, Burgschwaig- and Birkstein lode) the upper Ennstal Valley, the Eisenerz Alps and nickel than the other veins (Lutz et al., 2009). and Kitzbühel-Kelchalm is less radiogenic the Mürztal Valley. Numerous copper deposits occur in this sedimentary unit, related to mafic volcanism. The primary ore assemblage con- sists mainly of chalcopyrite and pyrite at the Mitterberg (Bernhard, 1965; Weber et al., 1971, 1972) on the one hand or fahlore at Schwaz/Brixlegg on the other hand (Gstrein, 1988, 1989). Sampling and analytical techniques only More than 120 ore samples from the Mitterberg district, the Kelchalm near Kitzbühl, Viehofen and Schwaz/Brixlegg were analysed chemically by neutron activation use analysis (NAA, for Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, As, Sb, Ag, Au, Se, Te, Zn, Sn) and inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry with a quadrupole ion filter