DOI article:
Witthöft, Harald: Early Medieval mining and smelting in the Harz Mountains - historical perspectives
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.56859#0140
108
results being heavily dependent on the methodological suppositions and then-
scientific variety (WITTHÖFT 2000). Human settlements and domains, their
structures and boundaries, objects of agriculture and forestry, of handicraft and
industry, buildings and technical constructions and the like were - in the course
of history and under contemporary natural and/or legal conditions - laid out or
adjusted to numbers, measures and weights.
Massa, Stück or Blau (Bloma) for example were quantities of iron produced
since the 13th century in specific furnaces in a day's work (Henning 1991, 237).
In Siegen a mashutte uff der weste was first mentioned in the year 1311
(Kellenbenz 1974, 34). When in 1317 in Lüneburg the monastery St. Michaelis
bought 18 Massa sive Sues of salt, it acquired a precisely defined share of the
daily - and thus of the yearly - production out of one of the 54 huts (Siede-
Häuser) of the Lüneburg salt-works.27 On the other hand: in 1498 and 1499 a
syndicate initiated by the Augsburg Fuggers arranged for 2560 Meiler of copper
to be kept avaible for the Venice market.28 Half a century later, in the year 1543,
after negotiations with the city of Goslar, the Confederation of Schmalkalden
issued a statute concerning the sale of timber, charcoal and lead. It made
obligatory that at all furnaces only a specific charcoal-measure should be used,
ten of which containing hard (beech-) coal to be reckoned for a fother {Fuder).29 30
About the same time, in 1555 a new statute of the duke of Brunswick-Wol-
fenbüttel concerning roasting and smelting at Rammelsberg (Hüttenordnung)
demanded for example that every roasting-fumace should be built to a specific
height and breadth, the right charcoal-measure be used and timber in the forest be
set up by the right measuring rod (Malt er stock).v> Finally - and most importantly
- the mining statutes for Goslar from the 14th century still contain the same
technical and/or legal regulations as the oldest statute for the Upper Harz
Mountains including Rammelsberg from 1271: Dritteyn groven de seal ein berch
to rechte hebben: twisschen jowelker grove dritteyn vote, vif vote in de wide,
27 Witthöft 1979, 211.1 Sues or Süß meant the equivalent of 15,120 kg salt (Witthöft
1979, 529).
28 Strieder 1905, 40. 1 Meiler (charcoal-kiln) = 10 Zentner (hundredweight).
29 Rosenhainer 1968, 99. - In 1535 in the county of Nassau the dimensions and thus the
capacity of the charcoal-basket were standardised by means of a Francfurt rod (Stab)
(Witthöft 1979, 450).
30 Rosenhainer 1968, 105 sqq. -For the balance of different components of the iron
production in modem times vid. Paulinyi 1974, 146 sqq. (I am grateful to Ekkehard
Westermann, Karlsruhe, for his helpful informations).
results being heavily dependent on the methodological suppositions and then-
scientific variety (WITTHÖFT 2000). Human settlements and domains, their
structures and boundaries, objects of agriculture and forestry, of handicraft and
industry, buildings and technical constructions and the like were - in the course
of history and under contemporary natural and/or legal conditions - laid out or
adjusted to numbers, measures and weights.
Massa, Stück or Blau (Bloma) for example were quantities of iron produced
since the 13th century in specific furnaces in a day's work (Henning 1991, 237).
In Siegen a mashutte uff der weste was first mentioned in the year 1311
(Kellenbenz 1974, 34). When in 1317 in Lüneburg the monastery St. Michaelis
bought 18 Massa sive Sues of salt, it acquired a precisely defined share of the
daily - and thus of the yearly - production out of one of the 54 huts (Siede-
Häuser) of the Lüneburg salt-works.27 On the other hand: in 1498 and 1499 a
syndicate initiated by the Augsburg Fuggers arranged for 2560 Meiler of copper
to be kept avaible for the Venice market.28 Half a century later, in the year 1543,
after negotiations with the city of Goslar, the Confederation of Schmalkalden
issued a statute concerning the sale of timber, charcoal and lead. It made
obligatory that at all furnaces only a specific charcoal-measure should be used,
ten of which containing hard (beech-) coal to be reckoned for a fother {Fuder).29 30
About the same time, in 1555 a new statute of the duke of Brunswick-Wol-
fenbüttel concerning roasting and smelting at Rammelsberg (Hüttenordnung)
demanded for example that every roasting-fumace should be built to a specific
height and breadth, the right charcoal-measure be used and timber in the forest be
set up by the right measuring rod (Malt er stock).v> Finally - and most importantly
- the mining statutes for Goslar from the 14th century still contain the same
technical and/or legal regulations as the oldest statute for the Upper Harz
Mountains including Rammelsberg from 1271: Dritteyn groven de seal ein berch
to rechte hebben: twisschen jowelker grove dritteyn vote, vif vote in de wide,
27 Witthöft 1979, 211.1 Sues or Süß meant the equivalent of 15,120 kg salt (Witthöft
1979, 529).
28 Strieder 1905, 40. 1 Meiler (charcoal-kiln) = 10 Zentner (hundredweight).
29 Rosenhainer 1968, 99. - In 1535 in the county of Nassau the dimensions and thus the
capacity of the charcoal-basket were standardised by means of a Francfurt rod (Stab)
(Witthöft 1979, 450).
30 Rosenhainer 1968, 105 sqq. -For the balance of different components of the iron
production in modem times vid. Paulinyi 1974, 146 sqq. (I am grateful to Ekkehard
Westermann, Karlsruhe, for his helpful informations).