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'Rusty Treasure' in Austria Revealed as Europe's Largest Cache of Iron Age Iron Bars
Researchers say the 1-ton trove could forge about 500 swords, and they believe it was likely lost in a shipwreck during river transport.
- In a study published Monday in Antiquity, archaeologist Peter Trebsche of the University of Innsbruck and Marion Berranger of the Archaeomaterials Research Institute detailed the discovery of 540 ancient iron bars in Deinham, Austria, marking Europe's largest known prehistoric iron cache.
- Workers at a gravel extraction plant discovered the haul in 2019 among underwater gravel along the Danube River; researchers believe the iron likely represents a sunken ship's cargo from the 3rd/2nd century BCE.
- Weighing around 2,200 pounds, the collection consists of uniform bipyramidal 'semi-products' intended for forging; Trebsche noted the material would have been sufficient to equip a large group of warriors with approximately 500 swords or 8,000 iron nails.
- The homogeneous assemblage indicates commercial transport, challenging previous assumptions about Iron Age trade and production capacities; researchers note that specialized boats would have been required to carry such a massive load.
- Ongoing analysis aims to trace the metal's geographical origin, as the bars may have been forged in Bavaria; future examinations will determine if the iron came from a single location or multiple smelting regions upstream along the Danube.
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16 Articles
16 Articles
A ton of iron from the Celts period was hidden for thousands of years in Austria. It speaks of the largest find of prehistoric iron in Europe.
·Berlin, Germany
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Around 500 iron bars have been found in Deinham, the largest known find of this species from the La Tène period in Europe.
·Vienna, Austria
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A ton of rusty iron bars in the old riverbed of the Danube in Upper Austria: During gravel mining work, workers discovered this initially inconspicuous treasure. What it has on it, Tyrolean researchers have now largely deciphered.
·Vienna, Austria
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'Nothing short of a minor miracle': 'Rusty treasure' found in the Danube is full of 2,000-year-old iron bars that could equip an entire army with weapons
Archaeologists in Austria have analyzed a collection of 500 iron bars that were likely lost in a Danube shipwreck 2,200 years ago.
·New York, United States
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Total News Sources16
Leaning Left1Leaning Right3Center2Last UpdatedBias Distribution50% Right
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources lean Right
50% Right
L 17%
C 33%
R 50%
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