Rieserfernerfund

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The Rieserfernerfund , also called Rieserferner-Fund , describes the discovery of well-preserved Hallstatt- era tissue remains in the Rieserferner group in South Tyrol .

Find history

In 1992 and 1994 Gottfried Leitgeb, the host of the Rieserfernerhütte , found several pieces of tissue near the refuge. The site was located 200 meters north of the hut on the western flank of the Gelttalspitze in an empty area. It was a pair of " socks " and two pairs of trousers, which initially looked rather inconspicuous. Samples of these pieces of clothing were determined by the ETH Zurich for their age using the radiocarbon method . According to these investigations, the trousers come from the Older Iron Age ( Hallstatt Period ) and are therefore around 2,500–2,800 years old. In 1994 the find area below the Gamsbichljoch was archaeologically examined. Apart from a few pieces of string and pieces of leather, no further clothing was found.

Finds

The first pair of leg warmers is made of linen weave, is 64 cm long and has a flap at the bottom. Sometimes two brown-red braids are sewn on. The second pair is made of thicker wool and woven using a different method ( herringbone twill ). The socks, which are also woven, consist of several strips sewn together. The numerous patches and the differences in style between the individual pieces are striking.

interpretation

The pieces of clothing form an ensemble and were probably all worn on top of each other in order to achieve the best possible insulation against the cold. The cords could have been used to attach the pieces. The leather remnants probably came from shoes. The lack of human bones could mean that clothes have been changed and left behind. However, it cannot be ruled out that there is still a corpse in the glacier or that it is a ritual deposit of clothing.

The geographical and temporal proximity to the Niederrasen grave field ( Windschnur grave field ) suggests that the owner of the clothes had at least contact with the local population. In the cemetery there, crampons have also been found.

Today the Rieserferner find is exhibited in the South Tyrolean Archaeological Museum in Bolzano .

literature

  • Lorenzo Dal Ri: I ritrovamenti presso il rifugio Vedretta di Ries / Rieserferner nelle Alpi Aurine (2,850 m slm) . In: Rivista di Scienze Preistoriche 47, 1995-96, pp. 365-388.
  • Stefan Demetz, Reimo Lunz, Luzia Brunner Renzler: Urn, hatchet & crampons. Archeology in turf wind cord and the puzzling Rieserferner find . Bolzano 1997.
  • Reimo Lunz: Archaeological forays through South Tyrol . Volume 1, Pustertal and Eisacktal, Bozen 2005.
  • Marta Bazzanella, Lorenzo Dal Rì, Alfio Maspero †, Irene Tomedi: Iron Age Textile artefacts from Rieserferner / Vedretta di Ries (Bolzano / Bozen - Italy) . In: P. Bichler et al. (ed.): Hallstatt Textiles. Technical Analysis, Scientific Investigation and Experiment on Iron Age Textiles . BAR international series 1351, Oxford 2005.

Coordinates: 46 ° 53 ′ 30.5 ″  N , 12 ° 4 ′ 45.5 ″  E