DOC1: Characterization of an Alpine mining landscape in the Bronze age based on archaeological findings, terrain analysis and supraregional comparisons
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Doctorate candidate Supervisors Univ.-Prof. Dr. Gerhard Tomedi
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| Mag. Thomas Koch-Waldner (with a magnetometer) and Mag. Simon Hye |
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Overview
In the course of this project new light should be drawn on the prehistoric mining industry of the Kitzbühel copper production area. After a break of nearly 50 years in the archaeological research, we now have new scientific possibilities, mostly notably from the natural sciences to analyse and interpret archaeological material.
Extensive surveys and mapping are necessary to reconstruct the prehistoric copper production-industry as well as the relation between the archaeological sites, the ore-deposits and the landscape.
One of the main questions to resolve will be the exact dating of the prehistoric mining and smelting-sites in the region of Kitzbühel. New 14C- as well as dendrochronological-dating results (14./13. century BC) have shown that the beginning of the prehistoric mining and ore-processing in this area is older than the original dating of Prof. Pittioni who dated all these sites in to the 11./10. century BC.
A further basic objective is to resolve the question of specialization of the Bronze Age copper production. Regarding this question the reconstruction of the forest stand (pollen analysis) as well as the infrastructural/logistical necesseties may help to find a solution.
Another important question is the supply of production areas through bigger settlements in lower regions as well as the distribution of the produced raw material copper.
With the intensive mining and production of copper as well as the absence of tin-imports and little evidences of bigger settlements in the area of Kitzbühel, this region has to be seen in a supra-regional context.
