This isn’t the primary time German archaeologists have recovered well-preserved footwear from the Dürrnberg salt mine in Austria. Nonetheless, what’s a primary, is the exceptional discovery of a kid’s shoe, relationship all the best way again to the Iron Age.

Since 2001, the German Mining Museum Bochum, a Leibniz Analysis Museum specializing in Georesources, has been educating the general public about historic mining on the Dürrnberg website, close to Hallein, in Salzburg, Austria. The Dürrnberg is traditionally important as a consequence of its historic rock salt mining, that dates again to the Iron Age.

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Remarkably, this 12 months’s excavations within the Georgenberg tunnel, led by Professor Dr. Thomas Stöllner, the top of the analysis space, have resulted within the exceptional discovery of “an exceptionally well-preserved kid’s shoe” that was crafted and worn over 2000 years in the past.

The “exceptionally well-preserved kid’s shoe” was discovered within the Dürrnberg salt mine. (Klaus Stange)

Preserving the Misplaced Crafts of Historical Mining

The German Mining Museum Bochum was based in 1930 and is one among eight analysis museums of the Leibniz Association. The present analysis on Iron Age prehistoric salt manufacturing at Dürrnberg close to Hallein in Austria is a part of a long-term analysis mission by the Institute for Archaeological Sciences at Ruhr College in Bochum, which is  funded by Salinen Austria AG and Salinen Tourismus.

The German Mining Museum Bochum, or Leibniz Analysis Museum for Georesources, focuses on the historical past of geo-resource extraction, processing, and use throughout varied ages. The mining historical past documentation heart, generally known as “montan.dok,” encompasses analysis areas like archaeometallurgy, mining historical past, supplies science, and mining archaeology. Guests to the positioning discover an roughly 1.2 km [0.75 miles] subterranean community of underground tunnels, studying about exhausting coal, mining, mineral sources, and artwork.

Salt-Preserved Subterranean Secrets and techniques

An article in  Archeonews says finds reminiscent of this youngsters’s shoe, but additionally textile stays and excrement, reminiscent of these discovered on the Dürrnberg, provide archaeologists an “extraordinarily uncommon perception” into the lifetime of historic Iron Age miners. Prof. Dr. Thomas Stoellner mentioned, “Natural supplies normally decompose over time,” however he described the situation of this youngster’s shoe as “excellent.”

Matching a contemporary measurement 30 youngsters’s shoe, the artifact was so effectively preserved because of the salt. Salt is hygroscopic, which suggests it has a powerful affinity for water molecules, so when salt comes into contact with leather-based, it absorbs moisture, successfully dehydrating it.

Researchers with wickerwork which was discovered within the historic salt mine in Austria. (Deutsches Bergbau-Museum Bochum)

Different Natural Treasures of the Austrian Salt Mine

Whereas this youngster’s shoe is particular, this isn’t the primary time historic footwear has been recovered from the Dürrnberg salt mine, which all date to over 2,000 years outdated. All of the footwear are remarkably well-preserved because of the distinctive environmental situations of salt mines that stop the decay and decomposition of natural supplies like leather-based. And so they all present useful insights into the footwear and each day lives of individuals within the area in the course of the Iron Age.

Beside this youngster’s shoe, the workforce of archaeologists additionally discovered “fur from a hood and lacing product of flax or linen.” This stuff, when interpreted with the design of the shoe, counsel it was likely made and worn within the 2nd century BC. Additional natural objects have been discovered close to the shoe together with a bit from a wood shovel, within the form of half a shovel blade.

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Different artifacts found inside the Dürrnberg salt mine in Austria. (Deutsches Bergbau-Museum Bochum)

Excavating to Estimate the Quantity of Salt Mined

Properly-preserved footwear from historic instances not solely provide archaeologists insights into the craftsmanship of the period and the know-how used for leatherworking, but additionally into the each day lives of the individuals who labored in or across the salt mines. And footwear additionally present details about footwear fashion, and the popular types of the time.

Excavations on the mine will proceed, with the aim of opening up your entire website, to raised perceive the work and existence of the Iron Age miners. Moreover, the archaeologists goal to find out precisely how large the Dürrnberg mining halls have been, to finally estimate how a lot salt was extracted in the course of the Iron Age.

Prime Picture: The Iron Age youngster’s shoe present in an Austian salt mine. Supply: Deutsches Bergbau-Museum Bochum

By Ashley Cowie