Radiocarbon dating of the iron production in slag-pit furnaces in Jutland

Abstract

Abstract Seventy-three samples of charred straw and charcoal from slag-pit furnaces on eleven different iron smelting sites in Jutland have been radiocarbon dated in order to investigate the duration of the use of the slag-pit furnace in iron production. At the following four major sites we have estimated the duration of iron production: DrengstedAD 410–550SnorupAD 330–570StarupAD 140–340GodsvangAD 300–550 Taken as a whole we have dated the use of slag-pit furnaces in Jutland to approximately AD 250–610.