ROMAN GOLD MINING IN THE „KARTH“, EASTERN ALPS, AUSTRIA

 

Research project, financed by the Austria Science Fund (FWF, Project P 30790-G25)

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Project management

 

 

 

 

Univ.-Doz. Dr. Brigitte Cech

 

Selfemployed archaeologist,

Gusengasse 8

1210 Wien

Habilitation for Mining- and Industrial Archaeology, University of Vienna

Contact:

Curriculum Vitae Brigitte Cech

Born November 7th, 1956 in Vienna, Austrian citizenship

 

Focus of research

mining and smelting, engineering and technology

 

Studies and affiliations

1975-1981 Study of Prehistoric Archaeology and History, University of Vienna

 

1981 Dr. phil., Dissertation thesis "Die slawische Keramik aus der "Schanze" bei Gars/Thunau (Die Funde aus den Grabungsjahren 1965-1980). Versuche zur Gliederung slawischer Keramik. – Early medieval pottery of the site “Schanze" near Gars/Thunau (The finds of the excavations 1965-1980) – A typology”

 

2002 Habilitation at the Faculty of Historical and Cultural Studies, University of Vienna

Venia legendi for Mining- and Industrial Archaeology

Habilitation thesis: „Spätmittelalterliche bis frühneuzeitliche Edelmetallgewinnung im Bockhartrevier, Gasteiner Tal (Bundesland Salzburg) – Late Medieval and Early Modern Times precious metal production in the Bockhart mining area, Gasteiner Tal, Salzburg“

 

2007 to 2013: Honorary Research Associate at the Institute of Archaeology, UCL, UK (this ended when the employment at UCL Qatar started)

 

Professional Career

October 1st 1981 - September 31st 1985: Employment as researcher at the Institute for Medieval and Early Modern material culture, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Krems

 

October 1st 1985 - March 31st 1990: Employment as researcher in the FWF-project "Neue Wege der Frühge¬schichtsforschung – Innovations in research on Early Medieval Times" at the Department of Prehistoric and Medieval Archaeology, University of Vienna

 

April 1st 1993 - March 31st 1994: Employment as researcher in the project "Siedlungskontinuität am norischen Limes – Settlement continuity along the Noric limes" at the Department of Prehistoric and Medieval Archaeology, University of Vienna

 

January 1st - June 30th 1995: Employment as researcher in the project "Tumulusforschung im Bereich der Porta Hungarica – Burial mounds (tumuli) in the region of the Porta Hungarica" at the Department of Prehistoric and Medieval Archaeology, University of Vienna

 

Juli 1st 1995 - June 30th 1997: Charlotte-Bühler Habilitation - Grant of the Austrian Science Fund (FWF)

 

Juli 1st 1995 - June 30th 1998: Researcher in charge of the project „ Edelmetallbergbau in den Ostalpen - Archäologie - Precious metal production in the Eastern Alps – Archaeology”

 

Juli 1st 1999 - June 30th 2001: Researcher in charge of the FWF- project „ Aufarbeitung des archäologischen Fundmaterials der archäologischen Untersuchungen zur Edelmetallgewinnung im Bockharttal, Ostalpen - Documentation and publication of the archaeological finds from the excavations at the precious metall productions sites in the Bockharttal, Eastern Alps”

 

Juli 1st 1998 - June 30th 1991 and July 1st 2001 - December 31st 2003: Parttime research assistant at the Department of Applied Geophysics, University of Leoben; responsible for the organisation of geophysical survey of archaeological sites

 

January 1st 2003 - December 31st 2005: Project manager of the FWF-project „Ferrum Noricum - vorrömische und römische Eisengewinnung im Raum Hüttenberg, Kärnten – Ferrum Noricum – Preroman and Roman iron production in Hüttenberg, Carinthia“

 

January 1st 2005 - December 31st 2007: Technical - Scientific expert in the EU-project (Alpine Space IIIB) „La Via dei Metalli - Wege des Erzes – Ways of the ore“ - Partner: Community of Hüttenberg

 

March 1st 2008 – August 31st 2011: Project manager of the FWF-project „2000 Jahre Eisenproduktion in Hüttenberg – 2000 years of iron production in Hüttenberg“

 

September 2008: organisation of the International Conference “Early Iron in Europe” in Hüttenberg, Carinthia, Austria (in cooperation with Thilo Rehren, UCL)

 

January 8th – May 2nd 2012: Visiting researcher at UCL Qatar

 

December 1st, 2013 – April 30th, 2016: Senior Research Fellow at UCL Qatar; Qatar National Research Fund project “Raw material procurement in  the Kingdom of Meroe, Sudan” (project manager: Thilo Rehren)

 

From January 1st, 2018: Project manager of the FWF-project “The Karth, a Roman gold mining district in the Eastern Alps, Austria“

 

 

 

 

 

Brigitte Cech – Selected bibliography

 

Monographs and books

B. Cech, Spätmittelalterliche bis frühneuzeitliche Edelmetallgewinnung in den Hohen Tauern. Montanarchäologische Forschungen im Bockhartrevier, Gasteiner Tal (Bundesland Salzburg) Mit einem Beitrag von Georg Walach. Monographien des Römisch-Germanischen Zentralmuseums 70, Mainz 2007.

 

B. Cech (Hrsg.), Die Produktion von Ferrum Noricum am Hüttenberger Erzberg - Die Ergebnisse der interdisziplinären Forschungen auf der Fundstelle Semlach/Eisner in den Jahren 2003 – 2005 (The production of Ferrum Noricum at the Hüttenberger Erzberg: the results of interdisciplinary research at Semlach/Eisner between 2003 - 2005) Austria Antiqua 2, Wien 2008.

 

B. Cech, Technik in der Antike. Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft Darmstadt 2010.

    Holländische Ausgabe: High Tech Romeinen. Techniek in de oudheid. Nijmegen 2011.

    Tschechische Ausgabe: Technika v Antice. Praha 2013.

 

B. Cech, Lukullische Genüsse. Die Küche der alten Römer. Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft Darmstadt 2013.

 

B. Cech and Th. Rehren (eds), Early Iron in Europe. Monographies instrumentum 50, 2014.

 

B. Cech (Hrsg.), Die Produktion von Ferrum Noricum am Hüttenberger Erzberg. Die Ergebnisse der interdisziplinären Forshungen auf der Fundstelle Semlach/Eisner in den Jahren 2006-2009 (The production of ferrum Noricum at the Hüttenberger Erzberg. The results of interdisciplinary research at Semlach/Eisner between 2006-2009) Austria Antiqua 6, Graz 2017

 

B. Cech, Th. Rehren, A. A. Mohamed (eds),The quarries of Meroe, Sudan.

Part 1: Texts, Part 2: Catalogue of quarries. UCL Qatar Series in Archaeology and Cultural Heritage 2, Doha 2018

Download links:

Part 1 (Texts), Map, link to videos: https://www.qscience.com/content/9789927118876

Part 2: Catalogue of Quarries: https://www.qscience.com/content/9789927118883

 

 

Selected articles on mining and smelting

Th. Birch, R. Scholger, G. Walach, F. Stremke, B. Cech, Finding the invisible smelt: using experimental archaeology to critically evaluate fieldwork methods applied to bloomery iron production remains. Archaeological and anthropological sciences 7 (1), 2015, 73-87.

 

B. Cech, A Roman gold mining district in eastern Austria. Historical metallurgy 46 (2), 2012 (published in 2014), 66-77.

 

B. Cech, The production of ferrum Noricum at Hüttenberg, Austria – the results of archaeological excavations carried out from 2003 to 2010 at the site Semlach/Eisner. Monographies instrumentum 50, 2014, 11-20.

 

B. Cech, Th. Kühtreiber (mit Beiträgen von N. Schindel, R. Lang, H. Emmerig, F. Beyer), Ein römisches Goldbergbaurevier im “Karth”, einer Landschaft südöstlich von Neunkirchen, Niederösterreich. Römisches Österreich 36, 2013, 1-94.

 

B. Cech, The production of ferrum Noricum. Largescale Roman iron production in Hüttenberg (Austria). in: C. Cucine (ed), Acta mineraria et metallurgica. Studi in onore die Marco Tizzoni. Notizie archeologiche Bergomensi 20, 2012, 91-106.

 

G. Walach, R. Scholger, B. Cech, Geomagnetic and Geoelectric Prospection on a Roman Iron Production Facility in Hüttenberg, Austria (Ferrum Noricum Archaeological Prospection 18, 2011, 149-158.

 

B. Cech, H. Preßlinger, G. Walach, G. K. Walach, Interdisziplinäre Untersuchung eines mittelalterlichen Eisenschmelzplatzes auf der Kreuztratte am Hüttenberger Erzberg. Archaeologia Austriaca 88, 2004, 183-204.

 

B. Cech, Water power in 16th century precious metal prduction in the Austrian Alps. The results of interdisciplinary research in the mining district of Gastein. Peter Claughton (Ed.), Water Power in Mining. Proceedings of the NAMHO-conference 2002 „The Application of Water Power in Mining“ in Aberystwyth, Wales. Mining History 15, Nos. 4/5, 2004, 77 - 82.

 

B. Cech, G. Walach, Alpine Bergschmieden des 15. und 16. Jahrhunderts. Soester Beiträge zur Archäologie 5, 2004, 117-128.

 

B. Cech, G. Walach, Medieval Gold and Silver Mining in the Hohe Tauern (Austria) – Results of an Archaeological/Archaeometric project. in: Proceedings of the 5th International Mining History Congress in Milos 2000. 2001, 282-312.

 

B. Cech, Archäologische Forschungen zur Edelmetallgewinnung des 15. und 16. Jhs. im Gasteiner Tal. in: Das Tauerngold im europäischen Vergleich. Archäologische und historische Beiträge des Internationalen Kongresses in Rauris vom 7.-9. Oktober 2000 (Hrsg. Gerhard Ammerer, Alfred St. Weiß), 2001, 35-65.

 

B. Cech, Archäologen als Historiker ? Probleme interdisziplinärer Montanforschung. in: Europäische Montanregion Harz (Hrsg. H.-J. Gerhard, K. H. Kaufhold, E. Westermann) in: Montanregion Harz (Hrsg. Ch. Bartels, K. H. Kaufhold, R. Slotta) Bd. 1, 2001, 19-41.

 

B. Cech, Bergtechnik der frühen Neuzeit – Ein Eisenfundkomplex des 16.Jhs. aus der Bergschmiede am Oberen Bockhartsee, Gasteiner Tal, Salzburg. Medium Aevum Quotidianum 43, 2001, 7-32.

 

B. Cech, Edelmetallgewinnung in den Hohen Tauern – Neue Erkenntnisse zum frühneuzeitlichen Berg- und Hüttenwesen im Gasteiner Tal. Blätter für Technikgeschichte 62, 2000, 111-130.

 

B. Cech, Gold and silver production in the fifteenth and sixteenth century based on the results of archaeological excavations in the Gasteiner Tal, Austria. in: M. Feugère, M. Gustin (eds), Iron, Blacksmiths and Tools. Ancient European crafts. Acts of the Instrumentum Conference at Podsreda (Slovenia) in April 1999. Instrumentum Monographies 12, 2000, 21-33.

 

B. Cech, G. Walach, Interdisciplinary research on a miners` smithy of the 16th century in Gastein, Salzburg, Austria. Methods and results. in: Il Ferro nelle Alpi. Atti del Covegno, Bienno 1998, 2000, 114-123.

 

B. Cech, G. Walach, Die spätmittelalterlich/frühneuzeitliche Edelmetallverhüttung im Angertal, Bad Hofgastein – Eine Studie zur systematischen Erforschung alpiner Montanlandschaften. Archaeologia Austriaca 82-83, 1999, 479-492.

 

B. Cech, G. Walach, Feldmethoden zur Bewertung historischer Schmiedeschlacken - Methodik und erste Ergebnisse. Archäologie Österreichs 9/2, 1998, 72-78.

 

B. Cech, Archeological research in the gold and silver mining district of Gastein and Rauris in Salzburg, Austria. in: Mount Calisio and the silver deposits in the Alps from ancient times till the XVIII century. Mines, history and links with the central european mining tradition. Atti del Convegno europeo promosso e organizzato dai comuni di Civezzano e Fornace e dalla Sat Societa alpinisti trentini - Sezione di Civezzano 12-14 ottobre 1995, 1997, 253-267.

 

B. Cech, W. Paar, Archäologische und geologisch-lagerstättenkundliche Untersuchungen in einem Edelmetallbergbau des 16.Jhs. im Gasteiner Tal, Salzburg. in: Proceedings of the 12th International Symposium of Speleology. Symposium 3: Speleology and Mines, La-Chaux-de-Fonds, 1997, 209-212.

 

B. Cech, G. Walach, Prospektion urzeitlicher Kupferschmelzplätze im Höllental, NÖ. Archaeologia Austriaca 79, 1995, 249-257.