In spring 2019, workers were extracting gravel from the Danube River in Upper Austria when they stumbled upon a rusty treasure. As the excavator emerged from the water, the workers noticed numerous double-pointed iron objects; what they didn’t know was that they had just found the largest assemblage of prehistoric iron bars in Europe.
A total of 540 iron fragments were eventually recovered from the river, together weighing more than one metric ton. A new study published in Antiquity posits that all this iron was likely lost in a shipwreck while on its way down the Danube. The objects were dated to the La Tène period of the Iron Age, when iron production was burgeoning across Europe, and this unexpected find may illustrate just how valuable iron had become in trade at the time.
“It is incredible that such a large quantity of iron was transported at once and was available in a single exchange transaction in the Late Iron Age,” said study lead author Peter Trebsche, an archaeologist at the University of Innsbruck, in a statement.
A Rusty Treasure From Iron Age Europe
One iron bar from Deinham with adhering gravel
(Image courtesy of Peter Trebsche)
When iron objects are found during gravel or sand extraction, they are normally sent to scrap dealers rather than museums, according to the new study; such objects often aren’t seen as valuable due to severe corrosion from water submersion.
Explore All OptionsFortunately, the iron bars found in 2019 near Deinham, a municipality in Upper Austria, were given a chance to be examined. Workers reported the objects to Austria’s Federal Monuments Office, leading to the eventual recovery of the entire iron assemblage. The objects were then donated to the Oberösterreichische Landes-Kultur, a cultural institution in Upper Austria, in 2023.
“It is nothing short of a minor miracle that the largest mass find of prehistoric iron bars in Europe did not end up at scrap dealers, but was reported to the Austrian monument authority,” Trebsche said.
Read More: Severe Drought Exposes Historic Shipwrecks Along the Danube River
A Costly Shipwreck on the Danube
To come up with a rough estimate of when the objects were forged, researchers took samples from three of the iron bars for radiocarbon measurements. The results suggested that the bars originated in the La Tène period (mid-fifth to first centuries B.C.E.) of the Iron Age.
Europe saw a major surge in iron production starting in the third century B.C.E., with the rise continuing into the second century B.C.E. Much of this iron was transported on rivers throughout the La Tène period.
The iron bars examined in the new study were likely being transported down the Danube; while their intended destination is unknown, the researchers suggest that the objects were forged in Bavaria, where iron production sites have been found in the vicinity of fortified Iron Age towns known as oppida.
From Iron Bars to Swords and Nails
(Image Courtesy of Andreas Blaickner and Markus Staudt, Institut für Archäologien, Universität Innsbruck)
According to the researchers, there was enough iron in the Deinham assemblage to forge approximately 500 swords; it could’ve therefore supplied a large group with weapons. However, it could’ve also been used to produce up to 8,000 nails for the construction of a defensive wall.
As for what would’ve been traded for the iron, many exchange goods wouldn’t have been viable due to their volume and mass (like grain, non-ferrous metals, salt, and wine). Other goods may not have been available in sufficient quantities to trade against one metric ton of iron (for example, raw glass or glass artifacts, imported Mediterranean tableware, coral, and amber).
It’s more likely that the iron would’ve been traded for immaterial return (dowry, tribute, or military service), mobile offerings (slaves, cattle, or horses), or a much more valuable metal like gold or silver.
A gold coin hoard previously found at the Iron Age settlement of Manching that consisted of 443 coins may have been enough to trade for the iron. Manching, located in Bavaria, is also near a large mining area, which could be the source for the iron used to forge the bars.
The discovery of the iron bars at Deinham ultimately points to the rising value of iron during the La Tène period and offers evidence of robust trade along the Danube during the Iron Age.
Read More: Woolly Mammoth Bones Emerge From Bulgaria's Danube Riverbank During Drought
Article Sources
Our writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:
- This article references information from a study published in Antiquity: A sunken ship cargo of 500 bipyramidal bars? Implications for La Tène period iron production and trade along the Danube
