Ferrum Noricum Hüttenberg, archaeology

The goal of the interdisciplinary approach to the archaeological project in the Hüttenberg region, Carinthia, is the fullest possible development of an antique economic district unique in Austria. This includes systematic documentation of a major area of processing plants (slag deposits), the archaeological investigation of sites selected according to prospection results as well as the mapping of ancient pathways and potential sites of settlements and lastly investigation of the materials specific to smelting (slags, furnace stones, refractories) and of the smelting techniques. Three campaigns of three month each are to investigate find sites selected according to prospection results. To obtain a picture of ancient smelting as complete as possible, smelting sites of varying size and structure will be selected for excavation. The excavation methodology takes into consideration the specifics of smelting plants. This primarily includes the specific materials of the finds (charcoal, ores, slags, furnace parts) which are to be recovered and documented using techniques developed during the excavation of a medieval/renaissance precious metal smelting plant in the Angertal, Salzburg. By means of close co-operation with the metallurgical project it is ensured that the excavation methodology competently addresses scientific issues or is accordingly modified. The find sites Kreuztratte, Jakamkogel, Semlach-Hohlweg and the potential settlement area Kirchbichl-Freidhöfl designated for archaeological investigation are situated in the communal area of Hüttenberg.

The area around Hüttenberg has long been regardede as the centre of the production of Ferrum Noricum, the famous Noric steel, mentioned in the literary sources of the Roman Empire. However, so far no systematic research has been done. The archaeological excavations concentrated on two sites, the site Kreuztratte and the site Semlach/Eisner. The site Kreuztratte was first excavated in 1929 and the results were published as a Roman furnace for smelting Ferrum Noricum. Recent excavations have shown that the Kreuztratte is an iron smelting site of the 13th and 14th century and the structure that was published is a lime kiln from early modern times. The site Semlach/Eisner has a size of about 50.000m and is thus the largest site at the Hüttenberger Erzberg. The results of the archaeological excavations show that it was a centre of iron production from the second half of the 1st century BC to the middle of the 4th century AD. Six furnaces could be uncovered so far. The construction of the furnaces is very similar. They are sunk in the bedrock and have a working pit for slag tapping and the removal of the bloom. Dendrochronology dated two of the furnaces in the middle of the 4th century AD. In the vicinity of four furnaces small smithing hearths for the refinement of the blooms were uncovered. The working area with the furnaces was inside two walls. One of these walls separated the slag heap from the actual working area. In addition to the furnaces two Roman limepits and numerous postholes and pits were found whose dating is still uncertain and the corner of a Roman building. The finds are ordinary household pottery as well as imported wares, fragments of glass vessels and numerous animal bones with butchery marks that are consistent with the markls found on bones in urban Roman environments. The archaeological features as well as the finds show that this was not just an industrial area, but also a settlement for the workers and an administartive centre. What makes this site so special is its large size, the long duration of iron production at one site and the presence of infrastructure, that allows the reconstruction of the organisation of the work and the daily life of the workers and the administrators. Due to the huge size and the complexity of the archaeological features more excavations are necessary to answer the questions that have turned up in the course of the project. The project has heightened the awareness of the local people for their past as well as for the work of researchers and scientists. An exhibition in the local museum and hiking trails to historic mining sites make the village more attractive for tourists.