Analytical Assessment of Chaltasian Slag: Evidence of Early Copper Production in the Central Plateau of Iran

IF 0.2 Q4 ANTHROPOLOGY
B. Sodaei, P. Kashani
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引用次数: 3

Abstract

This study reports the archaeometallurgical analyses results on six slag remains obtained from Chaltasian, Iron Age II, in the Central Plateau of Iran, excavated by Islamic Azad University, VaraminPishva Branch. Metallurgical studies were carried out to identify oxides, Ca-rich silicates and metallic phases in the slag material, using wavelength dispersive X-Ray fluorescence (WDXRF), followed by an analysis of one sample under the polarizing microscope: plane polarized light (PPL) and cross polarized light (XPL). Based on the analyses, it has been concluded that these six copper slag remains have a considerable amount of silica, which had been added to the smelt to increase its fluidity. Analyses showed a clinopyroxene microstructure in a glassy matrix for five samples, and a barite source, from a probable lead-zinc source in limestone, for the other sample. The absence of arsenic in these copper slags could show a paradigm shift in copper production in this space-time grid. According to the low amount of slag present on site, on the one hand, and the application of relatively advanced extraction technology on the other, this research introduces Chaltasian as an Iron Age II small copper production centre in the Central Plateau of Iran with a locally-developed copper extraction technology. IANSA 2017 ● VIII/2 ● 137–144 Bita Sodaei, Poory Kashani: Analytical Assessment of Chaltasian Slag: Evidence of Early Copper Production in the Central Plateau of Iran 138 Figure 1. Map of Iran. Figure 2. Aerial Photo, Chaltasian (Yousefi Zoshk 2012) IANSA 2017 ● VIII/2 ● 137–144 Bita Sodaei, Poory Kashani: Analytical Assessment of Chaltasian Slag: Evidence of Early Copper Production in the Central Plateau of Iran 139 Figure 3. Topographical Map, Chaltasian (Yousefi Zoshk 2012) Figure 4. Chaltasian, central mound (Yousefi Zoshk 2012). is currently a common technique to reach an understanding of the specialization in alloy production. Elemental analyses are a type of characterization research in archaeometry. The comparative assessment of chemical composition can lead to the determination of metal manufacturing processes. Archaeologists, therefore, prefer to employ chemical and physical techniques to identify both the elemental composition and production technology (Kashani et al. 2013a). In this work, six slag remains have been analyzed to obtain information about the quantitative elemental composition of the slag material and its mineral resources. 2. Theoretical background The production and use of copper and its alloys on the Iranian Plateau might have been started in the Neolithic site of “Ali Kosh” in the south west of Iran, where a rolled bead of native copper was found (Moorey 1969; Pigott 1999a; Thornton 2009). The bead from “Ali Kosh” has been dated to between the 8th and 7th Millennium BC (Hole 2000; Thornton 2009). It has been further specified that copper extraction technology on the Iranian Plateau had local developments during the Bronze Age (Dyson, Voigt 1989; Oudbashi et al. 0 120 m IANSA 2017 ● VIII/2 ● 137–144 Bita Sodaei, Poory Kashani: Analytical Assessment of Chaltasian Slag: Evidence of Early Copper Production in the Central Plateau of Iran 14
查尔塔锡矿渣分析评价:伊朗中部高原早期铜生产的证据
本文报道了由伊斯兰阿扎德大学VaraminPishva分校发掘的伊朗中部高原铁器时代查尔塔西亚(Chaltasian, Iron Age II)六具矿渣的考古冶金学分析结果。利用波长色散x射线荧光(WDXRF)对渣材料中的氧化物、富钙硅酸盐和金属相进行了冶金学研究,并在偏光显微镜下对一个样品进行了分析:平面偏振光(PPL)和交叉偏振光(XPL)。根据分析,这6种铜渣渣中含有相当数量的二氧化硅,这是为了提高熔体的流动性而添加的。分析显示,五个样品的玻璃基质中有斜辉石微观结构,另一个样品的重晶石来源,可能来自石灰岩中的铅锌来源。这些铜渣中没有砷可能表明在这个时空网格中铜生产的范式转变。根据现场矿渣量较低,且采用了较为先进的萃取技术,本研究介绍了Chaltasian作为伊朗中部高原铁器时代的小型铜生产中心,采用当地开发的铜萃取技术。Bita Sodaei, Poory Kashani:查尔塔斯矿渣的分析评价:伊朗中部高原早期铜生产的证据[j]。伊朗地图。图2。Bita Sodaei, Poory Kashani: Chaltasian矿渣的分析评估:伊朗中部高原早期铜生产的证据139图3。查尔塔西亚地形图(Yousefi Zoshk 2012)Chaltasian,中央丘(Yousefi Zoshk 2012)。是目前常见的一种了解合金生产的专业化技术。元素分析是考古计量学中表征研究的一种。化学成分的比较评估可以导致金属制造工艺的确定。因此,考古学家更喜欢使用化学和物理技术来确定元素组成和生产技术(Kashani et al. 2013a)。本文对6个矿渣残体进行了分析,以获得矿渣材料的定量元素组成及其矿产资源信息。2. 伊朗高原上铜及其合金的生产和使用可能始于伊朗西南部的“Ali Kosh”新石器时代遗址,在那里发现了一个卷制的天然铜球(Moorey 1969;Pigott 1999;桑顿2009)。“Ali Kosh”的头可以追溯到公元前8至7千年之间(2000年;桑顿2009)。进一步指出,在青铜器时代,伊朗高原上的铜提取技术在当地有了发展(Dyson, Voigt 1989;毕达伟,王晓东,王晓东,等。伊朗中部高原早期铜生产的证据——查尔塔锡矿渣的分析评价[j] .中国地质大学学报(自然科学版),2017,(8):649 - 649
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来源期刊
Interdisciplinaria Archaeologica
Interdisciplinaria Archaeologica Arts and Humanities-Archeology (arts and humanities)
CiteScore
1.00
自引率
0.00%
发文量
15
审稿时长
24 weeks
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