// NATURE NEWS — SPAZIO & SCIENZA
Huge hoard of metal bars hints at vast Iron Age trade
These iron bars were initially found by workers excavating gravel in northern Austria. Credit: Peter Trebsche, Universität Innsbruck
Iron was central to life in Europe in the second and third century bc, but the scale of its production and trade has been unclear. The discovery of a “rusty treasure” from Austria now suggests that more than a tonne of the metal was being shipped along the River Danube during the Iron Age, around 2,200 years ago1.
Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals
Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Trebsche, P. & Berranger, M. Antiquity https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2026.10404 (2026).
Watch scientists decipher burnt scrolls without unrolling them
Exclusive: New evidence for hidden chambers beyond Tutankhamun’s tomb
Ruins of ancient Asian city show engineering prowess and organization
Join HZAU's global faculty team to advance research with competitive benefits.