Iron Age Metallurgy

The finds from two Villanovan cemeteries located near Castel San Pietro Terme (Bologna) and Pontesanto (Imola), in the region Emilia Romagna (Italy) have been recently studied and analysed in the frame of different projects. In particular two classes of objects-fibulae and weapons-were examined and on them several kinds of analyses (XRF, AAS, SEM/EDS) were performed. They show interesting elements for the reconstruction of the metallurgical tradition of the Iron Age culture in the sites in the SouthEastern area of the Po Plain. The items in both groups are particularly suitable for the evaluation of the skills of the artisans who produced them and for the determination of the copper-based alloys in use in this area and period for the production of decorative objects of personal use and for different kinds of weapons. This paper discusses the results of the analyses and the metallurgical characteristics of the objects.

Two features at the excavation ‘Ronse Pont West’, dated between ca. 240-175 calBC, clearly contain the debris of a blacksmith workshop. It is still uncertain whether the features themselves are part of the actual forge or not. Although there is no in situ burning of the soil, several arguments point out that the forging area was close by and the pits were probably part of the infrastructure of the blacksmith.
Through a detailed macroscopic examination of the iron slags and the other debris, the aim of this paper is to determine the nature of the slags and the nature of the features.

S. Menic (2016): Latènezeitliche Schmieden im Siegerland. Archäologie in Westfalen-Lippe 2015, 209-212.

(below you find a link to Stephanie's book on this subject on here academia site)

As part of a research project on the La Tène-period iron economy in the Siegerland region, which has been funded by the DFG (German Research Foundation) since 2007, a thesis has now been completed on the reconstruction of the chaîne opératoire and on the econometrics of the various steps in the process. A partial result of the study pertaining to La Tène-period forges in the Siegerland region is presented here. By re-evaluating and studying sites excavated in the past, it was possible, among other things, to find evidence of two different types of forge. This shows that there were differences in the individual steps not just with regard to preparation and smelting but also concerning the tasks and activities of a smith.

This paper outlines the hypothesis for my PhD thesis. The hypothesis is that during the period of c. 800-450 BC (Hallstatt C-D3), a major factor in the development of the societies that can be observed during this time in Central Europe was the development of an indigenous economic system based primarily, but not exclusively, on iron and salt in the regions of Slovenia and Salzkammergut, Austria. Presented here is only the result of preliminary research, and it is likely the extent of this system was spatially wider, and temporally deeper. The objective of this paper is only to provide an evidential and logical basis from which the hypothesis can be rendered plausible. Zusammenfassung Dieser Beitrag stellt die Hypothese vor, die ich in meiner Doktorarbeit untersuche. Diese Hypothese ist, dass ein bedeutender, archäologisch beobachtbarer Faktor in der gesellschaftlichen Entwicklung im Zeitraum zwischen ca. 800-450 v.Chr. (Hallstatt C-D3) die Entwicklung eines indigenen Wirtschaftssystems war, das primär, wenn auch nicht ausschließlich, auf Eisen und Salz z.B. aus Slowenien und dem Salzkammergut in Österreich beruhte. In diesem Beitrag werden die vorläufigen Ergebnisse meiner Forschungen zu dieser Thematik vorgestellt; wobei von Anfang an anzumerken ist, dass das hier vorgestellte System wahrscheinlich räumlich weiter ausgedehnt war und eine größere zeitliche Tiefe hat als hier vorgestellt wird. Ziel dieses Artikels ist daher nur, die Evidenz und logischen Grundlagen der Hypothese vorzustellen, die sie plausibel genug für genauere, weitere Untersuchungen erscheinen lassen.