FERROUS METAL IN HISTORY

Book of Abstracts from the conference 'Iron in Archaeology: Bloomery Smelters and Blacksmiths in Europe and Beyond', which took place in Prague from May 30 to June 1, 2017.

Cambridge Archaeological Journal

The article critically examines interpretations of Old World ferrous metallurgical developments with reference to their consequences for Arctic Fennoscandian iron research. The traditional paradigm of technological innovations recurrently links the emergence of iron technology to increasing social complexity and a sedentary agricultural lifestyle, typically downplaying ‘peripheral’ areas such as Arctic Fennoscandia and its hunter-gatherer communities. Even in postcolonial research of recent years, the archaeometallurgical record of Arctic Fennoscandia is interpreted and organized within the traditional frameworks on the time, course, and cultural context of the introduction of iron technology in Europe, where Arctic Fennoscandia is not considered to have any noteworthy role. However, current archaeological research with new data in Arctic Fennoscandia disputes prevailing ideas in European iron research and shows substantial evidence that iron technology was an integrated part of hun...

METALLA

Medieval metallurgical complexes in Ancient Rus’ that have been studied are far from numerous. Three such complexes have been discovered on the territory of the former Principality of Ryazan (now Ryazan region of the Russian Federation). We have traced the full metallurgical cycle – from the exploitation of the ore occurrence to the manufacturing of the finished product – at the Istye 2 settlement. Over the course of archaeological and archaeometallurgical study of the settlement, we localized a rural metallurgical complex that supported the handicraft production of a large city with its products.

Pleiner, R. (2006). Iron in Archaeology. Early European Blacksmiths. Praha: Archeologický ústav AVČR, 2006

Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports Volume 51, October 2023, 104166, 2023

Recent excavations at Naḥal ‘Amram, a Nabataean copper mining center in the Arabah valley, Israel, unearthed for the first time four iron tips of mining picks. The present study undertakes a complex investigation of the picks, including metallographic, indentation hardness, slag inclusions (SIs), metal matrix, and osmium isotopic composition (Os-IC) analyses. The results indicate that the picks were manufactured via similar blacksmithing techniques, using two types of hard alloys: quench-hardened steel and phosphoric iron. A correlation was found between the composition of SIs, metal, and osmium isotopic signature, suggesting that three different ore sources were exploited to produce these picks. The quenched steel likely originated from a single ore source, whereas the two P-rich iron probably provenance from two different, yet geographically close or geologically similar ore deposits. The undertaken study highlights the importance of an integrative provenancing approach, which relies on the analyses of siderophile/chalcophile elements of the metal, lithophile trace elements of slag inclusions, and osmium isotopic analyses. This approach allows the complete characterization of the ore provenance signature of an artefact. However, the final provenance assignment to a specific ore deposit is currently limited, as it depends on our knowledge and familiarity with potential ore sources and on the archaeological evidence of their exploitation.

Radomír Pleiner’s death in January 2015 marked the end of an era. For sixty years he was one of the key figures in the study of early iron working, as demonstrated by his remarkable publication record of 12 books and over 250 papers. He was the founder member of the CPSA and remained its secretary for over forty years. An obituary was printed in the Spring 2015 issue of The Crucible, outlining his career and achievements, but it was decided that a longer, and less formal, celebration of his life and work should also be prepared. The tributes which follow include a number of personal reminiscences from the golden years of Radomír’s career, which are in a roughly chronological order, as well as a few thematic items. They are all a clear demonstration of the affection in which Radomír was held, of how widely his inspiration and influence were felt by his friends and colleagues and how they are still felt by succeeding generations. His lasting legacy will undoubtedly be his two magisterial books, Iron in Archaeology: The European Bloomery Smelters (2000) and Iron in Archaeology: Early European Blacksmiths (2006) which formed a fitting conclusion to his long and uniquely successful career. However, for those who had the privilege of knowing and working with Radomír it will be for his human qualities that he will be long remembered. Compiled by Peter Crew and Jiří Hošek. Contributions by Szymon Orzechowski, Elzbieta Nosek, Vladimir Zavyalov, Henry Cleere, Thilo Rehren, Henriette Lyngstrøm, Brian G. Scott, Věra Souchopová, János Gömöri, Lars F. Stenvik, Michel Mangin, Philippe Fluzin, Eva Hjärthner-Holdar, Christina Risberg, Peter and Susan Crew, Philippe Andrieux, Jiří Hošek, Vincent Serneels, Brian Gilmour, Janet Lang.

Technological Characteristics of the Iron Items from the Early Iron Age and the Middle Ages (Based on the Materials from the Moscow Region Settlements), 2023

The paper reviews the metallographic study of iron items from two sites in the Moscow region: Nastasyino, a fortified settlement of the Early Iron Age (Dyakovo culture), and a medieval unfortified village of Nastasyino from the Ancient Rus period. Iron items from the Nastasyino fortified settlement were made using all technological schemes known in the Early Iron Age. Medieval iron items is an example of more technologically advanced blacksmithing. Comparison of the Dyakovo iron items and the iron items from the Ancient Rus period demonstrates not only quantitative but also qualitative changes. Based on the analytical data, it is concluded that technological characteristics of a specific assemblage of iron artifacts can serve as an important indicator describing the level of social and economic development of a particular society.

The history of Permian blacksmith’s craft was not the theme of special study until recently. The archaeological material gives an opportunity to carry out a wide-scale metallographic investigation. The present paper is based on investigation of blacksmith’s production originating from the sites located in the Kama and Vyatka Rivers’ basins and dating from the Middle Ages. The performed investigations have shown that no significant changes in technical and technological appearance of the Permian blacksmith’s craft took place before the late 8th c. The data obtained by the author entirely correspond to the general trend of development of blacksmith’s technology characteristic of the forest zone of Eastern Europe from the first till the third quarters of the 1st millennium AD. The results of archaeometallographic investigations convincingly evidence the contacts of the Permian tribes with their western neighbours traced on the archaeological materials and maintained in the sphere of production as well. Judging from the archaeometallographic data the medieval Permian blacksmith’s craft should be characterised as traditional, marked by long-term preservation of technical stereotypes.

Journal of archaeolgical science: Reports, 2021

We present results of the complex investigation of large-scale iron production at the site of Katylyg 5 (Tuva, Southern Siberia) dating to 3rd-4th c. AD. The excavations have uncovered nine trapezoid underground smelting furnaces, a tonne of smelting slag, smithing remains and a charcoal production zone. The investigation of slag by Optical microscopy, SEM-EDS and ICP-MS confirms the performance of smelting and smithing operations at the site, and also suggests that the smelted ore was magnetite, associated with quartz. The presence of copper (bronze) prills in most of the smithing slag indicates that copper was worked alongside iron in the smithing hearths. The spatial division of the site into three different production zones (smelting, smithing and charcoalproduction) suggests a well-organized and self-sufficient industry, that was probably tightly controlled throughout all stages of the chaîne opératoire. The trapezoid furnaces identified at Katylyg, are also known from Cis-Baikal region where they date from the end of the 1st millennium BCE and throughout most of the 1st millennium AD. This suggests that the technology of trapezoid furnaces, along with the Kokel culture to which they are attributed, likely emerged in Tuva with the migrations from the Baikal region due to the westward Xianbei expansion during 1st-3rd c. AD.

2020

7. međunarodni znanstveni skup srednjovjekovne arheologije Instituta za arheologiju / 7th International Scientific Conference on Mediaeval Archaeology organized by the Institute of Archaeology, Zagreb, Croatia; 10. - 11. 9. 2020.