COMITE POUR LA SIDERURGIE ANCIENNE

de I'Union internationale des sciences prehistoriques et protohistoriques

W. U. Guyan, president R. Pleincr, sccrelaire

Siege du secretariat: Institut d 'archcologie, 118 01 Prague I , Leteoska 4

Eighteenth communication

NEW MEMBERS:

BELGIUM: R. Hall.u.<, U cge; HUNGARY: J. Glima,', SoproD; UNITED STATES: Prof. R . . ~addin. Philadelphia; Dr. Tamara S. Wheeler, Philadelphia.

CONFERENCES:

43. SITZUNG DES GESClUCHTSAUSSCIlUSSES DES VEREINES DER DEUTSCHEN EISENH U T ­

TENLEUTE, Eisenhlittenhnus, Diisseldorf. Held on March 4th, 1976. The follo 'wing papers were concerned with the early iron manufacturing: C. Bohne: Gedanken zum Aufkommen des Norischen Stahles. Among others the problem of smaU Li-pointed bars as semiproducts of the Noricum smelting ceIltre was mentioned. Prof. Schaaber completed the above contribution with some remarks on metallographical investigations of artifac ts having their origin in that area: traces of graphite in some of them show that molten carburized drops were formed during the work with the very hard steels. F. K. Naumann· D. Horstmann: Untersuchung mittelalterlicher Eisenfunde QUS der Urngebung von Stuttgart. Metallographical examinations of medieval arti­facts from Sindelfingell a nd Esslingen - St. Dionyslus, cf. our communication 17, AR 28.1976, 333.

An Interna tional Symposium on ARCHAEOME'l'RY & ARCHAEOLOGICAL PROSPECTION 197G was organized by the National Museum of Antiquities of Sco tland & the PACT Group of the Consul­tative Assembly of the Council of Europe in Edinburgh, 24th- 27th March, 1976. Th e session paid the main attention to diverse analytical and dating methods applied when investigating archaeological object s and features, and to the problems of archaeological prospection. Another section came into being having dealt especially with the early metal working. Here a set of important papers was read. The following contributions were concerned with the carly ferrous metallurgy: R. S later: Recent experimcntal work on smelting.A brief report on some smelts carried out in the bowl furnace (copper, lead, and iron). R . Maddin - T. S. Wheeler (Mrs) - J. D. Muhly: Ancient iron and steel. Analyses of iron objects from Nimrlld and AI Mina discussed in the scope of broader contexts of ancient technology. J. R. lW"arer:hal: Bases scientifiques de l'archeometal~

lurgie. The contribution was focussed on the principles of ancient non-ferrous metalh~rgy.

MUSEUMS:

MIECZYSLAW-RADWAN·l\'lUSEUM O}<' EARLY METALLURGY AT NOWA SLUFIA, POLAND.

Surprising results of archaeological excavations directed to the Roman period iron smelting in the Holy-Cross-Mountains area had given rise (twenty years ago) to a curious museum ptoject devo ted entirely to the local historical industrial activity. The idea was realized in 1960; accordi.ng to a building proposition by K. Brejtkop a pavilion has been erected above the previously excavated iron smelting site at Nowa Slupia, touching the v~ry frequented track by tourist s which points

A,,1!£o!ogicke rozhledy XXVIII, 17aha 1976 675

to the Holy Cross Monastery at the top of the hill range. Besides furnace hearths and slag blocs presented in situ the exhibition demonstrated all methods and results of research campaigns carried out in the mentioned region since 1955.

The museum has enjoyed an unusual publicity the number of visitors having amounted to tens of thousands every year. It was necessary to enlarge the museum which simultaneously shou1d have served as a base of further scientific activities. Since November 1968 the rebuilt museum stands open to the public bearing the name of the late professor Miec.:::yslaw Radwan

(1889-1968), who wns one of the authors of the complex research project having taken part in the field work and in the laboratory for many years. The museum as a branch establishment of the Warsaw Museum of Technology organizes each year demonstrations of trial smelting processes connected with popular feasts.

SCIENTIFIC ACTIVITY:

ExcaVRlions

A NEWLY DISCOVERED IRON SMELTING DISTRICT EAST OF WARSAW, Por.AND. Field re­connaissances organized in 1967}74 by the author of the present abstract, brought to light a large protohistodc smelting area in the Mazowsze plain of Blonie, measuring ca. 300 sq km between Warsaw, Leszno. and Grodzisk Mazowiecki. About 70 iron slag bearing sites have been enregistered up to the present day. The most important among them, Milanowek-Fal~cin, Bl"winow, Bisku­pice, Parzniew. Pruszk6w, P~cice, Kanie, represent b100mery plants combined with extended industrial settlements. This industry dates preliminarily from the Late La Tene and the entire Roman periods, with a heavy point in th.e initial phase (about B. C. /A. D.).

Excavation operations started in 1974; about 250 furnaces of the slag pit type were un­covered, varying in shape and size. They produced heavy slag blocs weighing from about 20-30 kgm up to 250 kgm. Many slag pits were equipped with channels pointing from the bottom of the hearths to the surface.'(Their real purpose must be studied in detail; not being parts of a normal blast they possibly served 'for combustion of wood-filling of the pit before receiving molten slag from uppel" levels. Editorial note.) In 1975 a cupola shaped kiln of 250 to 100 cms, si tuated in a large building, could be investigated during excavations at Mi1an6wek-Fal~cin. Layers of limestone were observed in the bottom of same.

Further investigations supported by geophysical methods are planned in this important drea by the Muzeum Starozytnego Hutnictwa Mazowieckiego \V Pruszkowie.

After S. WQyda, Pruszk6w Mctallography

NEAR EAST IRON OBJEC'l'S EXAMINED AT THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA LABORATORY.

In 1975, the below team was concerned with the metallurgical structure and elemental chemical analyses of iron objects from Nimrud, Toprakka1e, Hasanlu and AI Mina. Investigations of a chisel and an adze from AI Mina, Syria will be published in LevanJ. for 1976 and 1977. The Al Mina tools (ca. 400 B. C.) reveal that the smith knew how to develop properties appropriate to the function of the tools. The chisel was made by sacrificing some of its hardness for durability through ipsulating its edge before quenching, while the adze is made of two layers of iron - one carburized and the other uncarburized - with the carburized layer being the working surface.

The Toprakkalc sp earhead (Lake Van, eastern Turkey) contains a surviving core of metal. the edges of which show uniform carburization. The spearhead itself must havc been heavily carburized on the surface in order to produce the slight carburization in the surviving metal. A collection from objects from Nimrud. northern Iraq - all oxidized with two notable exceptions - show the ghost relics of carburizing treatments. The curious objects caned "ingots" (ca. 700 B. C.) are sound meta] and h ave carburized and quenched edges. The fact that they were subjected to sophisticated treatments casts doubt on their identification as ingots.

676

Vincent C. Pigott, Jr. is studying with the team the Ha nsanlu irons (northwestern Iran), and plans have been made to examine tools from Egyptian Thebes, HingotsH from Khorsabad and Susa, and iron objects from several Israeli sites (such as Taanech, etc.) in 1976.

R . lHaddin ~ J. D. Muhl_y - Tamara S. Wheekr, Philadelphia

P OLISH J.\oIETALLOGRAPHICAL HE SEARCH OF EARLY BULGARIAN IRON ARTIFACT S F OUND

AT STyRr.1EN. During field work carried out at the medieval fortress of Styrmen, Bulgaria , there were observed iron slag accumulationR in some of the spots submitted to excavations. Thcse vastes are believed to be traces of smelting activity _ Unfortunately, no fix evidence of furnaces, h earths, etc_ could be ascertained. As to tbe chemical composi tions of the sla g: (low l;-OeO contents, high silica, etc.) another explana tion is possible, i. e. that smithing cinders and vastes should he expectcd.

Thanks to the care of Pr.of. Z. GloUlucki and Mrs _ H. Przygodska (Institute of T echnology, Poznan) a considerable se t of 127 iron objects dating from the 8th-11th centuries was analyzed_ A small number of 16 specimens are of a later medieval date. The metallogr3phical examination consisted of miccoscopical observa tions and of microhardness tests_ The series includes mostly tools and agricultural implements (70 sp ecimens. 2S of which are knives); weapons and missiles in the form of arrowheads are represented by 37 object s. to the rest belong fittings and various fragments.

An extended commentary of results was compiled by Mgr_ H_ Mamzer (Zaldad Archeologii \Vielkopolski PAN, Poznaii)_ The main p art of artisan's tools used to be manufactured by progres­sive techniques based 011 the iron-to-steel welding. It is noteworthy that construction systems were mostly limited to simpJe faggoting of wrought iron and carbon st eel strips while more sophisticated methods as steel inlays and the so-called sandwich-schemes were applied rarely. Welding-on steel edges was lIot , in fact. practised. Other techniques (carburizing of edges or surfaces) are scarce_ Near1y 50% of quenchable artifacts were heat t reated. Wrought iron imple­ments with no traces of any amellioration are little significant.

T here arc made some comparisons with the technology of iron artifacts of the Great Mora­vian origin, which are p artly of the same date. The question is discussed whether a nd to what extent the stated welding techniques are to be derived from traditions havi.ng been common in workshops of former Roman provinces along the Danube. Let u s add that in the caSe of early Bulgarian blacksmith's craft the heritage of the steppe technologies should be taken into account as well. This suggestion may explain the existing differences between the Great Moravian and Balkan products_

The resnlts of the above research - which are u seful in spanning the gap in the present knowledge - are to be published as supplements to a monography devoted to the Styrmen excavation.

Studies

I NTERPRETATION OF SUSSEX ROMAN I RON S MELTING PLANTS. At the present st age of research con sacred to the Roman iron industry of the Weald of Susscx, England, an attempt is recently being made by H_ Cleere (Council for British Archaeology) to evaluate a1l available data and to state the role of the Classis Britannica in an area of 300-500 sq km over a century. There are following main subjects studied: 1. R egional production figures, calculated from remaining slag heaps and slag-metnJled roads. related to the production of individual sites and furnaces. 2. Consumption of raw materials (ore. timber), related to sources of supply, and the effect on the landscape (mining. defores ta tion). 3_ Manning requirement. used to produce demographical d ata.

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In spi te of difficulties originating in wide ranges of estimation and suggested proportions there is no doubt that this ,,,ill he an important contribution to the industri al and economical history of Europe, which may invite comparisons and new examination of other Europe's ancient iron smelting regions. Publication of the operating parameters for Roman ironwork of South England is under preparation.

After 11. Cleere. London

BIBLIOGRAPHY 1968, 1973 (supplements)

A. Spttcialized items:

R. P ITI'IONl: Studien zur IndusLrie-Archaologie I . Wesen uud Mcthode der Industrie­Archiiologie. Anzeigcr der phil.-hist. Klasse der Osterreichischen Akademic dee Wisscnschaftcn 1968/7, 123-143. In the author's opinion the subject of the industrial archaeology is, unusually, the entire complex of sources illus trating activities of ancient metal working and mining since their origins in prehistoric times. These sources (involving those of early iron making) are clas­sified and commented.

B. History oJ iron as mentioned in other publications:

ACTS OF I NTERNATIONAL ARCHAEOLO GICAL SYMPOSIUM "TH E l\{YCENAEANS I N THE

EASTb]RN :MEDITERRANEAN" , Nicosiu, 27th Murch - 2nd April, 1972. Nicosia 1973. Importan t remarks on the beginnings of iron working in Cyprus may be found in the p aper by V. R. Dcsboroug1t: Mycenaeans in Cyprus in the 11th century, 79-87. Some ncw find s are quoted in the discussion (pp. 337- 339).

V. R. DESBOROU GH, cf. Acts (above).

H. F. PAGET: Central Italy: An Archaeological Guide. London 1973. A short account of the ancient Ital y's most important iron smc]ting area at Populonin is on p. 133.

BIBLIOGRAPHY 1974

A. Spedalized items:

B. NYLEN: Bronze. Eisen und Gesellschaft. Eine soziale Umwalzung mit wirtschaftHchem Hintergrund zwischen Bronze- und Eisenzcit im nord ischen Raum? Die Kuudc N. F. 25 1974, 103-110. The beginning of the Iron Age must be placed back into the period Ripdorf involving far-reaching changes of the entire Nordic civilization and society .

B . History of iron as mentioned in other publications:

J. WACHER: The Towns of Roman Britain . London 1974. hon smelting actiVJty js briefly mentioned in connection with Lincoln (p. 131), Canterbury (p. 192. iron smelting furnace), Chichester (p. 252, bloomery. slags), and Silchester (p. 272, furnace discovered 1955, ores). The production of blacksmiths is attested at York (p. 171, tombstone of a master blacksmith, vaste products) , Silchester (p. 272), Caerwent (p. 388, blacksmith's shop). and the like. The majority of the monuments date from the Late Roman .P eriod.

618

BIBLIOGRAPHY 1975

A. Specia.lizcd items

D. ANKNER: Naturwissenschaftliche Untersuchungen an den Mctallen cler Vorgeschichte. In: Ausgrabungen in Deutschland, Val. 3. Mainz 1975, 14.5-157. As a part of a general survey dealing with the recently used analytical methodology pointing to investigations of ancient metal objects we find a paragraph devoted to iron (pp. 154-155). There is an interesting remark on the spark-erroding method of taking samples in delicate spots of the examined objects. Some comments on the La Tene iron technology in Europe appenr as well.

AnSRAPPORT 1975 - Helgoundersokningen sarnt Forskningsproj ckt. Riksantikvarienmbctet och Slatens Historiska Museum, Stockholm. This issue contains several contributions, partly " .. 'ritten in English, rela ting to metaJlographie investigations of ReIgn artifacts. J.-E. TomdlLnd: J iirnundcrsokningeu (futroduction), 59- 60. M. Lagerquist - S. Modin (Metallografisk undersokning av tcrnar fran He)go (Rapport), 61-70. Bars and rods, mostly of wrought iron or of unhomogeneously carburized metal, 17 specimens. R. Pleiner: Undersokning av mejslar (mct.allographisk rapport), 71- 75. In English. Examination of 8 chisels, 4 of them were made by well developed techniques of carburizing, welding and quenching, the rest being wrought iron artifacts. J.-E. Tomtlund: Metallografisk undersokning av femu - komentarer, 76-79. In Swedish.

K. BIELENIN: W sprnwie stanowiska dymarskicgo w Tarchalicach . (In Polish: Discussion all the Tarchalice bloomery site). Archcologia Polski XX/I, 1975, 174- 187. Polemics against a reconstruction of the noman P eriod furnaces found at Tarchalice. Silesia, suggested by G. Do­manski, in: Sprawozdania Archeologiczue 24, 391-438. According to G. Domanski huge slag hiDes known from the site represent fillings of the shaft furnace superstructures. However, slags are involved having penetrated into the bowl-hearth or slag pit of a shaft furnace.

J. EMMERLlNG: Met.allkundliche Untcrsuchungen an latenezeitlichen Schwertcrn und Messern. Alt-Thiiringcn XIII 1975, 205- 220. A new well-founded study presenting metallo­graphic examination of two swords, and of 4 knives dating from the late La Tene period and originating in Hungary and Yugoslavia. Iron-to-steel welding. heat treatment. Documentecl .

Z. G:r..OWACKI: Badania metaloznawcze. In: Novae - sektoc liachodni 1972 (S. Parnicki­Pudelko cd.). Poznan 1975, 275-279. Excavations of the casrra at Novae, Bulgaria, revealed some iron objects, a set of which has been submitted to the metallographic investigation (fibula, stilus, fire-striking steel. etc.). Only the last mentioned object was intentionally carburized (or steel-welded?, cd.) and quenched.

HISTORICAL M E1'AL "LURGY 9/2 ] 975. In this issue the early iron making is dealt with by

R. F. l'y/eco£e: Iron Smelting at Taruga, Nigeria. 49-56. Radiocarbon dating indicates ca. the 4th century B. C. as corresponding to the existence of the relevant site of the Nok culture. Thir· teen furnaccs with slug pits were cxcavated and metallurgieally estimated. Moreover. 14 iron artifacts were metallographienlly examined. Most of them represent very simple techniques of wOl'king wrought iron. Iron metallurgy possibly was spread by Phoenicians via ancient Sahara caravan routes. With the kiud permission of the editor we have taken over several items of the bibliography of the above volume.

A. KOLA - G. \VILKE: Produkcjll grot6w belt6w do kuszy w sredniowieczu w swietle wsp6lczesnych pr6b eksperymentalnych. Uwagi 0 odkryciach na grodzisku p6inoscedniowiecznym w Sloszewach, pow. Brodnica. Summary: Die Produktion der Armbrustpfeilspitzcn im Mittelalter

679

im Licbte der heutigen Experimentierversuehe. Acta Universitatis Nicolai Copernici - Archaeo­logia V 1975 (TorUli), 161-181. The assembly of 784 cross-bow bolt points found at the fort of Sloczewy (destroyed 1414) had given opportunity for experimental forging of two types of points while measuring the time (185 scc. for a simple tanged type). The use of swages cannot be excluded but the corresponding implement is still lacking. Only operations of hot forming were studied.

M. LAGERQursT, cf. Arsrapport , p. 679

A. LASZL6: Incepturile m etalurgici fierului pe teritorul Romaniei. Summary: Die Anftinge der EisenmetaHurgie in Rumanien. Studii ~i cercetari de istorie veche ~i arheologie 26/1 1975, 17- 39. A new list of the most ancient iron objects found in the territory of Roumania including finds dating from the H A period (west of the country, Banat) and 11 objects from the H B period. Bars and slag at Cernatu and Babadag (H B).

S. MODIN, cf. Arsrapport, p. 679

R. PLEIl.."ER, cf. Arsrapport, p. 679

R. PLEINER: Eisenschmiede im friihmittclalterlichen Zentraleuropa. Die Wege zur Erforschung eines Handwerkszweiges. Friihmittelalterliehe StudicD (Munster/W.) 91975, 79- 92. The survey deals with the recent progress in investigating early European blacksmith's work of the period since the fall of the Roman Empire up to the 8th century A. D. Metallography: archaeological and written sources and evidence, position of samej sun~mary of recent results.

R. PLEINER: Pocatky sachtove pece v evropskcm praveku. Summa.cy: Anfunge des Schachtofens in der Eisenmetallurgic Europas. In: Z dejin hutnictvi 2 (Rozpravy Narodnfho technickeho muzea v Praze 66). Praha 1975. 77-84. The paper underlines the importance of the shaft for iron smelting furnaccs in comparison to original bowl hearths, especially what concerns the temperature regime and the reducing gas streaming.

J.-E. TOMTLUND, cf. Arsrapporl, (bis). p. 679

R. F. TYLECO'£E , cf. Historical Metallurgy, p. 679

G. WILKE, cf. A. Kola, p. 679-680

BIBLIOGRAPHY 1976 (as at May, 1976)

A. Spe.cialized items

A. ANTEINS: Melais metals Latvija. In Lithuanian, summary in Russian, Black Metal of Lithuania. Riga 1976. This is a complete history of iron technology in Lithuania from its very beginning up to the end of the fifties of the 20th century. Chapter I deals with the early iron working and smelting: first iron objects appeared on the territory of Lithuania relatively late, about 500 B. C. The process of development dates since the first days of A. D. having continued rather quickly. In the 5th-lOth centuries A. D. the niveau of smithing techniques cqualled that one of ancient Russia. This statement is due to a developed metallographiealresearch dispo­sing of more than 600 specimens (incl. many blooms). Iron smelting sites with furnace features are known from Spietyni. ea. 500 A . D. , Asotc, ca. 10th cent. A. D., Daumgale, etc. Pattern­welded lances and swords, abundant in the east Baltic area, are discussed, too.

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K. BJELENIN: Da lsze badania st anowisk dymarskich w ['cjonie Gor swietokrzyskich. Summary: Continuation des rech erches mcnees dans les sites d'anci en ~ fours siderurgiqucs de la region des Monu de Sainte-Croix. Matcrialy Archeologiczne (Krakow) XVI 1976. 43-52. New excavations of bloomery sites in the Holy-Cross-Mountains area in Poland: R adkowice 1 (50 + 47 furnace hearths), Radkowice 2 (39 + 4·5 units); Lysa Corn - damaged site; remains of charcoal burning plants; Grzegorzewice I (49 + 5,~ hearths; isolated small reheating hear th '!). Botanical analyses, uC tests (cC. W. Moscicki - !\tT. F. Pazdur, here below).

A. A. KUHN, cf. K. R oesch, below.

V{. MOSCICK[ - M. F . P AZDUR: Podstawowe informacje dotycz<lce sposobu pomiaru, obliczenlll i intcrpretacji wicku pr6bek organicznych z~ swi ~tokrzyskich piccowisk dymarskich. datowanych metod<l C-14. Summary: Information de bast! concernant le mesurage, le calcul et l'intexpre tntioIl de Page des eprouvettes orgaoiques pl'ovenantes de groupes de fours siderurgiques situees dans les Monts de Sainte-Ctoix. Materialy Archeologiczne (Krakow) XVI 1976, 55- 58. Three of the Holy-Crass-Mountains smelting sites are now He dated: Lysa Cora 9 - 1920 ± 150 H.P .• Grzegorzewice 1 - two furnaces of the same plant 1960 ± 1110. and 1810 ± 60 B. P. Cor­rdation and calibration yield a dating from the 1st and 2nd centuries A. D. , both for the so-called organized and non-organized bloomeries. Classical dating is based o n the late R oman grey pottery found in analogical sites.

M. F. PAZDU R. cf. W. Moscicki, above.

REALLEXJKON DER G ERl\tAN l SCHEN ALTERTU MSKUN DE, Vo!. 2. Lieferung 1. Berlin 1976, 60- 70. S. v. Barren, written by H. Drescher , there is a survey of iron bars, rods and analogous semiproducts. known from the European protohistory and the Middle Ages.

K. ROJ~SCH - H. H. KUHN: Synthetische H crstellwlg von Rennfeuercisen und dessen h andwcrkliche Verarheitung. Archiv fur das E isenhtittenwesen 47 1976JI, 5-8. New trials were carried out in Germany in order to verify the processes observed in the Sahnran Airica. Synthetic smelts of Indian ores poor in phosphorus and of German ores rich in this element. Only pure ferritic iron reduced from the former kind of ore could be carburized and 'welded together when making artifacts. Welding processes are hindered through iron phosph ates.

Edited hy R. Pleiller