Antiquity· 2026Q1
A sunken ship cargo of 500 bipyramidal bars? Implications for La Tène period iron production and trade along the Danube
- 1citations
- Q1SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
A shipwreck cargo of 500 bipyramidal iron bars, radiocarbon dated to the Late Iron Age (4th-1st centuries BC), represents a new variant and the largest assemblage of its kind found in Europe.
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Key points
- The largest assemblage of bipyramidal iron bars in Europe, comprising 500 pieces, was found in a shipwreck.
- These bars are a new variant, radiocarbon dated to the Late Iron Age (4th-1st centuries BC), distinct from earlier attributions.
- The discovery was made in a silted-up branch of the Danube River in Upper Austria.
- The find raises questions about the purpose and exchange value of this substantial iron cargo.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Water is not kind to iron, as demonstrated by the ‘rusty treasure’ uncovered at Deinham in Upper Austria, now revealed as the largest assemblage of bipyramidal iron bars yet found in Europe. While similar bars are generally attributed to the Early Iron Age (eighth–fifth centuries BC), the authors here argue that the Deinham bars are a new variant, radiocarbon dated to the Late Iron Age (fourth–first centuries BC). Discovered in a silted-up branch of the Danube River, the bars were likely lost in a shipwreck, permitting speculation as to the purpose and exchange value of this weighty cargo.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Antiquity, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: Archeology (Social Sciences)
ArcheologySocial Sciences