Deinham's Rusty Treasure: Largest Iron Age Bar Find

Archaeologists in Austria discovered 540 prehistoric bipyramidal iron bars in a Danube gravel pit, dating back 2,200 years and totaling one metric ton, marking the largest such assemblage ever found in Europe.

The top 3

  1. Scale and Composition: The haul comprises 193 complete and 307 partial iron bars, each weighing roughly 2kg and measuring 28.5cm, enough raw material to forge 500 swords.
  2. Discovery Context: Found in 2019 during industrial gravel extraction near Deinham, the original archaeological context was destroyed, necessitating reconstruction through surviving river debris.
  3. Expert Significance: Archaeologists Peter Trebsche and Marion Berranger identify these as 'semi-products,' highlighting unprecedented Iron Age trade networks along the Danube.

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