Investigation on Manufacturing Process in Some Elamite Copper Alloy Artefacts from Haft Tappeh, South-west Iran
The archaeometallurgy of copper have been pioneer technologies in ancient Iran and goes back to about ten thousand years ago in Iranian Plateau [1, 2]. The Haft Tappeh Middle Elamite Site is located in Southwest Iran and have been an important city belonging to early phase of Middle Elamite period (14th century BCE) [3, 4]. Based on various metallurgical evidences found in archaeological excavations, such as metalworking workshop, slag, smelted copper as well as numerous copper alloy artefacts, extensive metallurgical activities have done in Haft Tappeh and it has been an important center in smelting and manufacturing copper alloys in second millennium BC [4, 5]. To identify metallurgical process of metallic artefacts in Haft Tappeh including alloying composition, inclusions and phases as well as manufacturing and shaping, seven metallic fragments have studied by Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectrometry (SEM-EDS) and optical microscopy.
Archaeometallurgy of copper in the Middle Elamite period of southwestern Iran: Analytical investigation of various parts of the copper production in Haft Tappeh
Abstract The Elamite period (ca. 3000 to 640 BC) hosts one of the earliest kingdoms to arise on the Iranian Plateau, and its metallurgy displays significant technical and industrial sophistication in comparison with the prehistoric period industries in other regions of Iran. This paper presents results of an analytical study of different metallurgical materials from the important Middle Elamite site of Haft Tappeh (ca. 1400 BC), including slags, metallic ingots/prills and objects. The samples were analysed by chemical and microanalytical methods including, ICP-OES, SEM-EDS, WD-XRF, EPMA and thin section petrography. Based on the results, the primary copper smelting process applied at Haft Tappeh was a partially incomplete smelting process that may be interpreted as a two-step procedure, including partial smelting of copper from sulphidic ores leading to matte production and refining the copper ingots/prills to obtain metallic copper. Also, the cementation of copper and cassiterite was the main process used to make tin bronze ingots/prills; however, for producing bronze, the ancient Elamite metalworkers might have known the direct smelting of mixed copper-tin ores as well. A third technique used at Haft Tappeh was the manufacturing of different, small objects made of impure copper and/or tin bronze. Thus, it is probable to introduce the copper-base metallurgy in Haft Tappeh as three main stages including copper smelting from sulphidic copper ores, the refining of early copper ingots/prills and production of tin bronze in different ways.
The bronze bowls from Ban Don Ta Phet, Thailand: An enigma of prehistoric metallurgy
Remains of 3rd-2nd century B.C. Iron Age bronze bowls from Ban Don Ta Phet, Thailand, are examined. Metallographic analysis indicates a manufacturing technique involving casting mechanical hot-working, heat treatment and quenching, followed by polishing on a wheel or lathe. X-ray fluorescence found a very high tin bronze (23%). Comparison to bowls from other comparable sites are made. -- AATA