Mining and alpine pasture management in the Rofan Mountains from the Stone Age to the Iron Age exemplified by the rockshelter at the Krahnsattel (administrative district of Kufstein, Tyrol).

Bachelor´s thesis by Caroline Posch

At the Krahnsattel (2000 m above sea level) a big, free-standing boulder with a south-west orientated overhang attracts the attention. Optimal insolation and weather protection turns this site into an ideal campground. This place has been used as shelter until a few years ago by herdsmen and their flock as well as various scout troops.
During the excavation campaign in 2009 a trial trench of 1x6 m was dug out. In the layers animal bones, charcoal, debris of red radiolarian rock, Iron Age pottery sherds and a fireplace came to light. First radiocarbon-dates of the charcoal and bones point to the last few centuries BC.
The campaign in 2010 will hopefully provide new information on the use of the campground. Judging from previous finds continuity from the Stone Age to the end of the Iron Age seems to be given. This offers new perspectives in the research on early pasture management in high mountain regions.
The finds and features of this excavation shall be documented and evaluated in the course of a bachelor´s thesis. Thereby an overview, as detailed as possible, will be provided on the use of the rockshelter across different eras.

Rock crystal as raw material used for prehistoric tool production. Resources and finds in western Austria and South Tyrol.

Master´s thesis by Julia Hammerschmied

A research project of Julia Hammerschmied, financed by a Country South Tyrol research grant, was assigned to project part 05 of the SFB HiMAT. The project will be carried out in the scope of a master´s thesis. Aim of the project is taking an inventory of all prehistoric rock crystal finds in Vorarlberg, North-, East- and South Tyrol. Besides mapping of find-spots this mainly includes the typological comparison of finds. Especially the identification of the raw material and therefore the determination of the origin of individual objects play an important role with regard to the Hohe Tauern and Engadine window. Possible exchange and trade routes are to be investigated in respect to the Olperer massif (Riepenkar) in the Tux- and Zillertal Alps as central rock crystal resource and further surveys will be carried out in summer 2010.

Kleinwalsertal – a Stone Age mining area on radiolarian rock

Master´s thesis by Thomas Bachnetzer

This thesis will focus on the Stone Age quarrying activities at the site “Am Feuerstein” in the Gemsteltal (tributary valley of the Kleinwalsertal). Based on radiocarbon-dates of the Late Neolithic it may be presumed that this material was already in use during that period although so far no settlements dating to the Neolithic have been found in the area. But excavations at Egg and Schneiderküren (Kleinwalsertal) have proofed that exactly this raw material variety was used for stone tool production during the Mesolithic. Even though in this period chert was mainly gained from river gravel an early exploitation in the Gemsteltal isn´t impossible. This raises the question as to whether the quarry at the “Feuerstein” can be connected with these sites.
In recent years several new sites could be detected at high altitudes. Hoards, as the one at the Bäramähdle, and stray finds provide evidence on the use of routes over mountain passes. With the help of the silica raw material collection and the connected database having been established and continually extended in the course of work of the SFB HiMAT many of the artifacts could be assigned to the raw material variety of the quarry. In this thesis an overview on the Stone Age colonization of the Kleinwalsertal in regard to the mining site at the “Feuerstein” shall be given