Bodies Marked by Labor
On the Dürrnberg plateau, south of Salzburg, archaeologists have uncovered a cemetery from the Iron Age, dating from roughly the 6th to the 1st century BCE. The skeletons buried here belonged to a community that grew wealthy from mining "white gold"—salt. Paleopathological analysis of these 2,500-year-old remains reveals a society whose demanding physical labor left permanent marks on their bodies. These are not the bones of warriors, but of industrial workers from the Hallstatt and La Tène periods.
The skeletons show distinct patterns of musculoskeletal stress markers, bony changes at the points where muscles and ligaments attach. These markers allow scientists to infer habitual activities. One group of skeletons, presumed to be the miners, exhibits significant degenerative changes in their spines, particularly in the lumbar region. This is consistent with the stress of swinging heavy picks and lifting blocks of salt deep within the mountain. Another group shows different trauma: their feet and ankles are deformed, with pronounced changes to the joints of the big toe. This pattern points to the immense strain of carrying heavy loads, likely sacks of salt, up and down steep terrain. The evidence written in their bones suggests a clear division of labor between those who excavated the salt and those who transported it.
A Prehistoric Industrial Complex
The Dürrnberg was a major European center for salt production during the Iron Age. Celtic miners began organized, large-scale extraction here in the 6th century BCE, digging tunnels up to 280 meters deep into the mountain. The work was arduous, performed with bronze and iron picks, wooden shovels, and leather bags. The operation was immense, and the wealth it generated is in the grave goods found in the cemetery, which include imported amber and gold jewelry.
The mine itself is a unique archaeological environment. The high salt concentration has led to the remarkable preservation of organic materials that would normally decay. Excavations have uncovered thousands of artifacts, including over 600 textile fragments, leather shoes, wooden tools, and remnants of the miners' clothing. One of the direct records of the miners' lives comes from preserved human feces, or palaeofaeces. Analysis of this material reveals a diet of cereals like barley and millet, supplemented with beans and sometimes meat. It also provides information on health, showing the presence of intestinal parasites. These preserved organic finds, combined with the skeletal evidence, show a specialized prehistoric industrial community.