Europe's Largest Iron Age Iron Hoard Found in Austria: Over 500 Bars Could Forge 500 Swords
Archaeologists in Austria have uncovered more than 500 iron bars from the Iron Age, the largest known collection in Europe. The find, discovered during gravel extraction, suggests large-scale iron production and trade over 2,000 years ago.
Archaeologists have identified Europe's largest known collection of Iron Age iron bars in Austria, a discovery that could reshape our understanding of ancient iron production and trade. The find, consisting of at least 500 bars weighing over a metric ton in total, was made during gravel extraction work in Deinham, Austria, in 2019.
According to a study published in the journal Antiquity by archaeologist Peter Trebsche and Marion Berranger of the University of Innsbruck, the bars date to the third or second century B.C., based on radiocarbon dating. The researchers believe the iron may have been forged in Bavaria, Germany, and transported along the Danube River, though its intended destination remains unknown.
The collection, described by researchers as a 'rusty treasure,' would have been extremely valuable during the Iron Age when iron production and trade were expanding across Europe. The bars could have been used to forge approximately 500 swords, each weighing between 3.3 and 4.4 pounds, highlighting the scale of ancient metalworking.
What makes this discovery particularly significant is that iron objects from this period are often overlooked or difficult to date, making it hard to measure the scale of prehistoric iron production. The numerous double-pointed iron bars found during gravel extraction provided a unique opportunity to investigate large-scale production and trade, the researchers said in a press release.
Trebsche praised the gravel workers who found the bars for reporting the find to the Monuments Authority instead of selling them to a scrap dealer. 'Fortunately, the gravel workers reported this find to the Monuments Authority and did not sell them to a scrap dealer,' he told Fox News Digital.
The discovery also raises the possibility that the valuable cargo was lost in a shipwreck on the Danube River more than 2,000 years ago, though this remains speculative. The findings shed new light on the complexity and scale of Iron Age economies in Europe.
