Abstract

This contribution is an outcome of a project cooperation between the Museum of Natural History Vienna and the Vienna University of Technology. The museum investigates since many years the prehistoric salt mines in Hallstatt, Austria, by classical archaeological methods, by experimental archaeology, and by modelling and simulation, which partly ca be seen as virtual experimental archaeology. This contribution continues investigations on modelling agricultural constraints for population size in prehistoric Hallstatt, presented in a previous conference publication. As modelling and simulation approach agent-based simulation is used, as well for the mining process, and for the supply including food production, and for the environment. First, the supply for the mining process is studied. The main focus is on the food production and its time consumption which is needed to feed all people working and living in prehistoric Hallstatt. This time consumption consists at one hand of the actual time used for seeding, mowing and harvesting and on the other hand more importantly of the time used for traveling to the fields and harvesting the goods. To simulate the traveling time an A* algorithm is used, also for the traveling time needed for the miners to get to the mine. Also the supply process of felling and transporting trees to the mine as well as chipping the wood to produce wood chips for lighting purposes is part of the simulation. Experiments with the model try to localize suitable areas for the prehistoric Hallstatt village with interesting outcome: the simulation ‘suggests’ a subdivision of the population into a village near the mine and another village at the location of today’s Hallstatt.