Neolithic Hallstatt – a special mining place

The article analyzes salt exploitation in Hallstatt during the Neolithic period. Evidence for neolithic human presence in the Hallstatt area has been accumulating over the last years. Spatial analyses as well as use-wear analysis on the stone axes from the Hallstatt-Dachstein region give new important insights into human activity during this period. The presence of a deer pick documented within one of the mining galleries along with a fragment of a prestigious axe is very significant. Within the Salzberg area, four prestigious axes have been documented, an unusual fact for a mining area. The article highlights that Hallstatt developed advanced technology for salt extraction and presents the continuity and specialization of salt mining in this region since 5000 BC.