Physical Modelling for Hallstatt Archaeology

Abstract

Computer simulation can contribute important insights into different areas of archaeology as an addition to traditional experimental methods used to find answers for certain questions arising from archaeological findings, e.g. how tools were used or simply why things were the way they were. In a cooperative project between the Natural History Museum Vienna and the Vienna University of Technology, questions regarding prehistoric physical systems are analyzed. These systems originate from archaeological investigations on the prehistoric salt mines in Hallstatt (Austria) in the Bronze Age. Three case studies are presented in this article. The first example studies different designs of rope pull systems used to hoist the broken salt from the mining halls through shafts to the surface. In the second task, bronze picks for breaking the salt are investigated using dynamic simulation. The third and last task presents some calculations regarding illumination and air consumption in the mining halls. The simulations allow comparison of different scenarios, help falsifying propositions and gain knowledge in certain aspects regarding technical equipment and working conditions in the prehistoric salt mines in Hallstatt.

Trends in Archaeological Simulation

“…Very few dynamical systems models have appeared since 1997 and none of a complexity comparable to the exemplars provided by van der Leeuw and McGlade (van der Leeuw and McGlade 1997b;McGlade 1997b). Those that have been published are either 'stylized models' (Janssen and Anderies 2007), 'retain a metaphoric feel' (Beekman 2005b, p. 96), or represent very tightly bounded systems such as the rope pull mechanisms used in the Hallstatt Bronze Ages mines (Heinzl et al 2012). It seems that researchers attracted to the dynamical systems perspective on morphogenesis have shifted their focus to 'human ecodynamics' (McGlade 1995) or 'socio-natural studies' (van der Leeuw and Redman 2002): that is, the study of the complex interactions between societal and environmental change that play out over long timescales (Dearing et al 2010).…”

“…Iron Age site in Turkey is expected to 'determine areas of potential archaeological significance and direct further investigations through field excavations or other archaeological techniques' (Altaweel and Wu 2010, Abstract). Heinzl et al (2012) present two simulation studies which they use to investigate the mining technology used the Bronze Age mining halls at Hallstatt. The first, mentioned earlier, uses a system of differential equations to study alternative rope pull systems, while the second models the use of bronze picks for digging as a rigid body system.…”