Montanarchäologie in den Eisenerzer Alpen, Steiermark

The book `Montanarchäologie in den Eisenerzer Alpen, Steiermark` (The archaeology of mining and metallurgy in the Eisenerzer Alps, Styria) presents a summary of the archaeological research in the Eisenerzer Alps since its beginning in 1888 until the year 2001. In a detailed catalogue all archaeological sites from prehistory until modern times are described. The history of research and the settlement history of the Eisenerzer Alps with distribution maps and statistics are presented, as well as a comprehensive bibliography. The distribution maps clearly reflect the present state of research as archaeological research in recent decades has concentrated on the archaeology of mining and metallurgy. The mountains of the Eisenerzer Alps are mainly part of the geological zone of the Northern Graywacke Zone which is rich in copper and iron ore deposits. The Eisenerzer Alps and above all the region of Eisenerz have been characterised for millennia by mining (copper and iron ore) and its influence on the landscape and the people living there. Within the research project `Perspectives on the Exploitation and Development of Abandoned Mining Areas` of the Austrian research initiative `Cultural Landscapes` the region of Eisenerz was taken as an example since various options of land-use for this very special type of cultural landscape are possible in the future. This book now presents the analysis of the local conditions of archaeological sites (mines, copper smelting sites, charcoal production sites and others), the geological background, the ecological analysis of prehistoric copper smelting sites in a test area in the valley of the Eisenerzer Ramsau and the history of vegetation in the area on the basis of pollen analysis. From the archaeological point of view the cultural landscape of the Eisenerzer Ramsau is rather unspoiled and an intact `landscape of an abandoned mining area` comprising a high number of production sites deriving from mining and related activities. A comparison of the results from the systematic archaeological survey in the test area with the distribution of archaeological sites in the Eisenerzer Alps leads us to expect a similar result in other parts of this mountainous region. There are no comparable prehistoric copper mining and smelting sites in other parts of Styria, therefore the region of the Eisenerzer Alps remains the single prehistoric centre for copper mining in Styria.