Marmorgewinnung und Schmiedetätigkeit im Frühmittelalter – Ein erster Hinweis im Steinbruchrevier Spitzelofen in Kärnten/Österreich

During archaeological excavations in the Roman marble quarry area of Spitzelofen in Carinthia, hammerscale was found from an early medieval burned layer. Radiocarbon dates of this layer refer to the 8th and 9th century AD. In the course of the metallurgical examination, plate-shaped hammerscale was determined. The thickness of the flakes varied between 30 and 100 µm. It can be assumed that these flakes were formed by scaling during the forging process. Furthermore, spherical hammerscale was observed, which is a mixture of molten iron and slag that sprays away from the workpiece during high-temperature forging (> 1200 °C). These particles have a diameter of around 250 µm. The archaeological context, the hammerscale, and the radiocarbon dates provide evidence of a forging activity related to marble exploitation in the 8th and 9th centuries A.D. In a simple field forge, the quarry tools that had become blunt through use were resharpened. This indirect evidence of early medieval stone quarrying at Spitzelofen coincides with the use of marble for the early medieval reliefs featuring interlaced ornaments in Carantania (772 to 817/828 AD).