Hallstatts bronzezeitliche Almen

Innsbruck

2009

S. 97-104

3 Abb., 12 Lit. Ang.

Artikel aus einer ZeitschriftUnselbständiges Werk

200155654

Alpine pasturing at the Dachstein plateau around Hallstatt (Salzkammergut) started during the Bronze Age at about 1700 BC. Salt mining in Hallstatt and pasturing during the Bronze Age were closely related. Pasturing started during the warm period of the early to middle Bronze Age, however intensified between ca. 1400 and 1200 BC, when climate deteriorated. This contradiction could be explained by the need for food supply of the growing population of the salt mining community of Hallstatt, where space for agriculture is limited. When climate deterioration culminated at about 1100 BC, alpine pasturing came to an end. It recovered neither during the climate amelioration of the transition Late Bronze (Urnenfelderzeit/Hallstatt) nor during the Celtic epoche. This could be due to the increasing importance of trade related to salt industries. However, more interdisciplinary work and novel approaches are necessary to fully understand the complex interactions between climate, alpine pasturing, and socio-economy during the prehistoric development of Hallstatt.