Resource usage of the hilltop settlement on the Kiechlberg near Thaur (Tyrol, Austria) from Late Neolithic to Middle Bronze Age

Archaeological excavations on the ‘Kiechlberg’ near Thaur (Tyrol, Austria) excavated a dwelling site with an experimental phase of copper metallurgy from the Late Neolithic to the Early Bronze Age. Findings of copper ore, slag, unwrought copper and ingots document the processing sequence from ore to...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Vegetation history and archaeobotany 2016-01, Vol.25 (1), p.85-103
Main Authors: Schwarz, Anton Stefan, Oeggl, Klaus
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Abies alba
Agrarian society
Anthropology
archaeobotany
Archaeological sites
Archaeology
Barley
Beech
Biogeosciences
Bos
Bovidae
Bronze Age
Capra
cattle
Charcoal
Climate Change
Coniferous forests
Copper
Copper ores
Corylus avellana
Cultivation
Deciduous forests
Domestic animals
Earth and Environmental Science
Earth Sciences
energy
Fagus sylvatica
fruits
Goats
Grain cultivation
Hazelnuts
Hordeum vulgare
Metallurgy
Mixed forests
Neolithic
Nutrition
Original Article
Ovis
Paleontology
peas
Picea abies
Pisum sativum
Quercus
Sheep
Slag
slags
Smelting
Soil samples
soil sampling
Stone Age
Taxa
Triticum dicoccum
Triticum turgidum subsp. dicoccon
Vegetation
wild plants
wood
Woodlands
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Archaeological excavations on the ‘Kiechlberg’ near Thaur (Tyrol, Austria) excavated a dwelling site with an experimental phase of copper metallurgy from the Late Neolithic to the Early Bronze Age. Findings of copper ore, slag, unwrought copper and ingots document the processing sequence from ore to raw copper. Archaeobotanical studies on soil samples from these cultural layers reveal that the early dwellers were embedded in an agricultural society with cultivation of Hordeum vulgare (barley), Triticum dicoccon (emmer) and Pisum sativum (pea). Small domestic animals like Ovis/Capra (sheep/goats) dominate during the Late/Final Neolithic whereas Bos sp. (cattle) prevail during the Early Bronze Age. Nutrition was supplemented by gathering wild plants, e.g. Corylus avellana (hazelnuts) and Quercus sp. (acorns). Anthracological analyses provide information about the use of wood which was primarily taken from a mixed conifer forest composed of Picea abies (spruce), Abies alba (fir) and some Fagus sylvatica (beech). The surrounding woodland was only moderately affected by exploitation for construction and energy purposes even in epochs when smelting activities took place.
ISSN:0939-6314
1617-6278
DOI:10.1007/s00334-015-0529-8