Resource usage of the hilltop settlement on the Kiechlberg near Thaur (Tyrol, Austria) from Late Neolithic to Middle Bronze Age
2016
Schwarz, Anton Stefan | Oeggl, Klaus
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.
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