Unveiling Shahdad: Exploring ancient copper reserves and metallurgical practices on Iran's Southeast Plateau

Abstract

The ancient site of Shahdad, situated in the southeast plateau of Iran, has been regarded as one of the ancient metalworking centers during the 3rd millennium BCE. Given the extensive production of copper slag in Shahdad dishes, a more nuanced discussion of the copper reserves utilized in Shahdad dishes is imperative. Moreover, Shahdad is located in the Lut Block and holds considerable potential for copper reserves. However, to date, studies examining the mining location of copper reserves at this site are lacking. Two primary reserves proximal to the Shahdad site are located in the northern-eastern (basaltic volcanic) and southern-western (magmatic-porphyritic) vicinity. Considering the diverse geological nature of the copper reserves in the proximity of Shahdad, mineralogical and chemical analyses have been used to trace the link between metallic slag and its respective copper reserves. Ultimately, despite the closer proximity of the basaltic northern-eastern copper reserves to Shahdad, the utilization of these reserves favored magmatic-porphyritic reserves in the southern-western region. However, it appears that in earlier settlements such as Tepe Dehno, dating back to the 4th millennium BCE, the probability of utilizing northern-eastern basaltic copper reserves was greater, possibly due to their greater accessibility. However, despite Shahdad's substantial potential for ancient metallurgy, the definitive source of the copper reserves utilized within this site is unclear. Moreover, it is necessary to extensively address this fundamental question in detail.