Link: https://archaeologymag.com/2026/09/iron-age-salt-mining-complex-beneath-hallstatt/

Comments

Real life minecraft.

That's where I left my mine. Been looking for it forever.

That's where I left my mine!

Cool!

Pretty cool archeological news. The image however does not show any Iron Age mine but some much newer salt mine tunnels in the Hallstatt area.

This appears to be the primary reporting: https://ooe.orf.at/stories/3370725/ (German)
It also shows actual images. Not of the mines because what was actually done was exploratory drilling and the iron ages mines were identified by remains (wood, textiles, lightening materials etc.)

That said, it was already known that salt mining goes back thousands of years in the area, at least approx. 7000 years. According to the article mining activities reached already quasi industrial levels around 1000 bc.

Do you mean lighting materials? The article shows wood chips. A translation mentions luminous chips but that doesn't mean anything to me. Thanks for your article link and added details though

Yeah, sorry. Apparently some wooden chips that were used as light source.

Also tools, cloth pieces, food and human feces. All so well preserved due to the salt, that DNA is still intact.