One man’s waste is another man’s obsession: a theoretical framework for the study of ferrous slags
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Published
Nov 8, 2021
Abstract
Since archaeometallurgy essentially originated from the unplanned union of two widely disparate fields of study, this new sub-field of archaeology was left without a clearly defined framework or research agenda beyond the study of past metallurgy and its associated remains. While the virgin territory that this field encompassed allowed for tremendous progress to be made, the lack of a specific theoretical framework resulted in this progress being skewed towards a predominantly technological focus. This paper attempts to establish a clear theoretical framework within which the current parameters of archaeometallurgical research may be expanded, to be more in line with archaeology as a whole. Such a model shall demonstrate the role of archaeometallurgical remains, such as ferrous smithing and smelting slags,
within a broader techno-industrial and socio-cultural context, while elucidating the
various relationships that exist between technological processes and their products.
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Keywords
References
Allen J R L 1988, ‘Chemical compositional patterns in Romano-British bloomery slags from the wetlands of the Severn estuary’, Historical Metallurgy 22(2), 81–86.
Bachmann H G 1982, The identification of slags from archaeological sites (London).
Barndon R 2004, An ethnoarchaeoarchaeological study of ironsmelting practices among the Pangwa and Fipa in Tanzania (Oxford: Cambridge Monographs in African Archaeology 61).
Bayley J 1998, ‘Metals and metalworking in the first millennium AD’, in J Bayley (ed), Science in archaeology: an agenda for the future (London), 161–168.
Bayley J, Crossley D, and Ponting M (eds) 2008, Metals and metalworking: a research framework for archaeometallurgy (London: Historical Metallurgy Society Occasional Publication No. 6).
Blakely S 2006, Myth, ritual and metallurgy in ancient Greece and recent Africa (Cambridge).
Buchwald V F 2001, Ancient iron and slags in Greenland (Copenhagen: Meddelelser om Grønland, Man and Society 26).
Buchwald V F 2003, ‘Bloomery iron, Osmond iron, fined iron and puddled iron’, in L C Nørbach (ed), Prehistoric and medieval direct iron smelting in Scandinavia and Europe: aspects of technology and society. Proceedings of the Sandbjerg conference, 16th to 20th September 1999 (Aarhus), 171–175.
Buchwald V F and Wivel H 1998, ‘Slag analysis as a method for the characterization and provenancing of ancient iron objects’, Materials Characterization 40, 73–96.
Coustures M P D, Béziat F, Tollon C, Domergue L,and Rebiscoul A 2003, ‘The use of trace element analysis of entrapped slag inclusions to establish ore – bar iron links: examples from two Gallo-Roman iron-making sites in France (Les Martys, Montagne Noire, and Les Ferrys, Loiret)’, Archaeometry 45(4), 599–613.
Daoust A B 2007, The nature and composition of blacksmithing residues and their relation to weld-line slag inclusions, unpublished MSc dissertation, University of Bradford.
Dobres M-A 1999, ‘Technology’s links and chaînes: the processual unfolding of technique and technician’, in M-A Dobres and C R Hoffman (eds), The social dynamics of technology: practice, politics, and world views (Washington), 124–46.
Ehrenreich R M 1991, ‘Archaeometallurgy and archaeology: widening the scope’, in P D Glumac (ed) Recent trends in archaeometallurgical research (Philadelphia: MASCA Research Papers in Archaeology 8), 55–61.
Espelund A 1997, ‘An attempt to define archaeo-metallurgy’, in L C Nørbach (ed) Early iron production: archaeology, technology and experiments (Lejre: Historical-Archaeological Experimental Centre Technical Report 3), 7–13.
Gordon R B 1997, ‘Process deduced from ironmaking wastes and artefacts’, Journal of Archaeological Science 24, 9–18.
Haaland R 1985, ‘Iron production, its socio-cultural context and ecological implications’, in R Haaland and P Shinnie (eds), African iron working, ancient and traditional (Oslo), 50–72.
Hedges R E M and Salter C J 1979, ‘Source determination of iron currency bars through analysis of the slag inclusions’, Archaeometry 21(2), 161–175.
Hjärthner-Holdar E and Kresten P 1996, ‘Continuity and change during 2000 years of iron making’, in G Magnusson (ed), The importance of ironmaking: technical innovation and social change. Vol II (Stockholm), 29–46.
Hosler D 1994, The sounds and colors of power: the sacred metallurgical technology of ancient west Mexico (Cambridge, MA).
Humphris J, Martinón-Torres M, Rehren T and Reid A 2009, ‘Variability in single smelting episodes – a pilot study using iron slag from Uganda’, Journal of Archaeological Science 36, 359–69.
Iles L and Martinón-Torres M 2009, ‘Pastoralist iron production on the Laikipia Plateau, Kenya: wider implications for archaeometallurgical studies’, Journal of Archaeological Science 36, 2314–26.
Killick D and Gordon R B, 1987 ‘Microstructures of puddling slags from Fontley, England and Roxbury, Connecticut, USA’, Historical Metallurgy 21(1), 28–36.
Killick D 2001, ‘Science, speculation and the origins of extractive metallurgy’, in D R Brothwell and A M Pollard (eds), Handbook of Archaeological Sciences (Chichester), 483–492.
Kresten P and Serning I 1983, The calculation of normative constituents from the chemical analyses of ancient slags (Stockholm).
Kresten P, Grandin L and Hjärthner-Holdar E 2000, ‘Mineralogy of archaeometallurgic slags’, in D Rammlmair, J Mederer, T Oberthür, R B Heimann and H Pentinghaus (eds), Applied mineralogy in research, economy, technology, ecology and culture. Vol 2 (Rotterdam), 1001–4.
Kresten P, Hjärthner-Holdar E and Larsson L 1998, ‘Geochemistry in archaeometallurgy’, in Proceedings: the fourth international conference on the beginning of the use of metals and alloys (BUMA-IV). May 25-27, 1998, Kunibiki esse, Matsue, Shimane, Japan (Sendai), 139–144.
Kronz A 2000, ‘Self-mixing melt compositions in fayalitic slags – a key to understanding early metal production?’, in D Rammlmair, J Mederer, T Oberthür, R B Heimann and H Pentinghaus (eds), Applied mineralogy in research, economy, technology, ecology and culture. Vol 2 (Rotterdam), 1005–8.
Kronz A 2003, ‘Ancient iron production compared to medieval techniques in Germany: fayalitic slag and elemental mass balances’, in Archaeometallurgy in Europe 2003 (Milan), 555–564.
Maret P 1985, ‘The smith’s myth and the origin of leadership in central Africa’, in R Haaland and P Shinnie (eds), African Iron working, Ancient and Traditional (Oslo), 73–87.
McDonnell G 1991 ‘A model for the formation of smithing slags’, Materialy Archeologiczne 26, 23–26.
Morton G R and Wingrove J 1969, ‘Constitution of bloomery slags. Part 1: Roman’, Journal of the Iron and Steel Institute 207, 1556–1564.
Morton G R and Wingrove J 1972, ‘Constitution of bloomery slags. Part 2: Medieval’, Journal of the Iron and Steel Institute 210, 478–488.
Paynter S 2006, ‘Regional variations in bloomery smelting slag of the Iron Age and Romano-British periods’, Archaeometry 48(2), 271–292.
Ploquin A, Mahe C and Leroy M 1996, ‘Reconstruction of ironmaking procedure: a progress report about petrographical studies of slaggy wastes from archaeo-ironmaking sites’ in G Magnusson (ed), The importance of ironmaking: technical innovation and social change. Vol 2 (Stockholm), 105–119.
Rehren T, Charlton M, Chirikure S, Humphris J, Ige A, Veldhuijzen H A 2007, ‘Decisions set in slag: the human factor in African iron smelting’, in S La Niece, D Hook and P Craddock (eds) Metals and mines: studies in archaeometallurgy (London), 211–18.
Reid A and MacLean R 1995, ‘Symbolism and the social contexts of iron production in Karagwe’, World Archaeology 27(1), 144–61.
Rose D, Endlicher G and Mucke A 1990, ‘The occurrence of ‘iscorite’ in medieval iron slags’, Historical Metallurgy 24(1), 27–32.
Sellet F 1993, ‘Chaine operatoire: The concept and its applications’, Lithic Technology 18 (1 and 2), 106–12.
Sillar B and Tite M S 2000, ‘The challenge of ‘technological choices’ for materials science approaches in archaeology’, Archaeometry 42(1), 2–20.
Tholander E and Blomgren S 1985, ‘On the classification of ancient slags by microstructure examination’, in T Edgren and H Jungner (eds), Proceedings of the third Nordic conference on the application of scientific methods in archaeology (Helsinki: ISKOS 5), 415–425.
Thomas G R and Young T P 1999a, ‘A graphical method to determine furnace efficiency and lining contribution to Romano-British bloomery iron making slags (Bristol Channel orefield, UK)’, in S M M Young, A M Pollard, P Budd and R A Ixer (eds), Metals in Antiquity (Oxford), 223–226.
Thomas G R and T P Young 1999b, ‘The determination of bloomery furnace mass balance and efficiency’, in A M Pollard (ed), Geoarchaeology: Exploration, Environments, Resources (London: Geological Society Special Publications 165), 155–164.
Tylecote R F, Austen J N and Wraith A E 1971, ‘The mechanism of the bloomery process in shaft furnaces’, Journal of the Iron and Steel Institute 209, 342–363.
White J R 1980, ‘Historic blast furnace slags: archaeological and metallurgical analysis’, Historical Metallurgy 14(2), 55–64.
Wynne E J and Tylecote R F 1958, ‘An experimental investigation into primitive iron-smelting techniques’, Journal of the Iron and Steel Institute 190(3), 339–348.
Young T 2011, ‘Some preliminary observations on hammerscale and its implications for understanding welding’, Historical Metallurgy 45(1), 26–41.
Bachmann H G 1982, The identification of slags from archaeological sites (London).
Barndon R 2004, An ethnoarchaeoarchaeological study of ironsmelting practices among the Pangwa and Fipa in Tanzania (Oxford: Cambridge Monographs in African Archaeology 61).
Bayley J 1998, ‘Metals and metalworking in the first millennium AD’, in J Bayley (ed), Science in archaeology: an agenda for the future (London), 161–168.
Bayley J, Crossley D, and Ponting M (eds) 2008, Metals and metalworking: a research framework for archaeometallurgy (London: Historical Metallurgy Society Occasional Publication No. 6).
Blakely S 2006, Myth, ritual and metallurgy in ancient Greece and recent Africa (Cambridge).
Buchwald V F 2001, Ancient iron and slags in Greenland (Copenhagen: Meddelelser om Grønland, Man and Society 26).
Buchwald V F 2003, ‘Bloomery iron, Osmond iron, fined iron and puddled iron’, in L C Nørbach (ed), Prehistoric and medieval direct iron smelting in Scandinavia and Europe: aspects of technology and society. Proceedings of the Sandbjerg conference, 16th to 20th September 1999 (Aarhus), 171–175.
Buchwald V F and Wivel H 1998, ‘Slag analysis as a method for the characterization and provenancing of ancient iron objects’, Materials Characterization 40, 73–96.
Coustures M P D, Béziat F, Tollon C, Domergue L,and Rebiscoul A 2003, ‘The use of trace element analysis of entrapped slag inclusions to establish ore – bar iron links: examples from two Gallo-Roman iron-making sites in France (Les Martys, Montagne Noire, and Les Ferrys, Loiret)’, Archaeometry 45(4), 599–613.
Daoust A B 2007, The nature and composition of blacksmithing residues and their relation to weld-line slag inclusions, unpublished MSc dissertation, University of Bradford.
Dobres M-A 1999, ‘Technology’s links and chaînes: the processual unfolding of technique and technician’, in M-A Dobres and C R Hoffman (eds), The social dynamics of technology: practice, politics, and world views (Washington), 124–46.
Ehrenreich R M 1991, ‘Archaeometallurgy and archaeology: widening the scope’, in P D Glumac (ed) Recent trends in archaeometallurgical research (Philadelphia: MASCA Research Papers in Archaeology 8), 55–61.
Espelund A 1997, ‘An attempt to define archaeo-metallurgy’, in L C Nørbach (ed) Early iron production: archaeology, technology and experiments (Lejre: Historical-Archaeological Experimental Centre Technical Report 3), 7–13.
Gordon R B 1997, ‘Process deduced from ironmaking wastes and artefacts’, Journal of Archaeological Science 24, 9–18.
Haaland R 1985, ‘Iron production, its socio-cultural context and ecological implications’, in R Haaland and P Shinnie (eds), African iron working, ancient and traditional (Oslo), 50–72.
Hedges R E M and Salter C J 1979, ‘Source determination of iron currency bars through analysis of the slag inclusions’, Archaeometry 21(2), 161–175.
Hjärthner-Holdar E and Kresten P 1996, ‘Continuity and change during 2000 years of iron making’, in G Magnusson (ed), The importance of ironmaking: technical innovation and social change. Vol II (Stockholm), 29–46.
Hosler D 1994, The sounds and colors of power: the sacred metallurgical technology of ancient west Mexico (Cambridge, MA).
Humphris J, Martinón-Torres M, Rehren T and Reid A 2009, ‘Variability in single smelting episodes – a pilot study using iron slag from Uganda’, Journal of Archaeological Science 36, 359–69.
Iles L and Martinón-Torres M 2009, ‘Pastoralist iron production on the Laikipia Plateau, Kenya: wider implications for archaeometallurgical studies’, Journal of Archaeological Science 36, 2314–26.
Killick D and Gordon R B, 1987 ‘Microstructures of puddling slags from Fontley, England and Roxbury, Connecticut, USA’, Historical Metallurgy 21(1), 28–36.
Killick D 2001, ‘Science, speculation and the origins of extractive metallurgy’, in D R Brothwell and A M Pollard (eds), Handbook of Archaeological Sciences (Chichester), 483–492.
Kresten P and Serning I 1983, The calculation of normative constituents from the chemical analyses of ancient slags (Stockholm).
Kresten P, Grandin L and Hjärthner-Holdar E 2000, ‘Mineralogy of archaeometallurgic slags’, in D Rammlmair, J Mederer, T Oberthür, R B Heimann and H Pentinghaus (eds), Applied mineralogy in research, economy, technology, ecology and culture. Vol 2 (Rotterdam), 1001–4.
Kresten P, Hjärthner-Holdar E and Larsson L 1998, ‘Geochemistry in archaeometallurgy’, in Proceedings: the fourth international conference on the beginning of the use of metals and alloys (BUMA-IV). May 25-27, 1998, Kunibiki esse, Matsue, Shimane, Japan (Sendai), 139–144.
Kronz A 2000, ‘Self-mixing melt compositions in fayalitic slags – a key to understanding early metal production?’, in D Rammlmair, J Mederer, T Oberthür, R B Heimann and H Pentinghaus (eds), Applied mineralogy in research, economy, technology, ecology and culture. Vol 2 (Rotterdam), 1005–8.
Kronz A 2003, ‘Ancient iron production compared to medieval techniques in Germany: fayalitic slag and elemental mass balances’, in Archaeometallurgy in Europe 2003 (Milan), 555–564.
Maret P 1985, ‘The smith’s myth and the origin of leadership in central Africa’, in R Haaland and P Shinnie (eds), African Iron working, Ancient and Traditional (Oslo), 73–87.
McDonnell G 1991 ‘A model for the formation of smithing slags’, Materialy Archeologiczne 26, 23–26.
Morton G R and Wingrove J 1969, ‘Constitution of bloomery slags. Part 1: Roman’, Journal of the Iron and Steel Institute 207, 1556–1564.
Morton G R and Wingrove J 1972, ‘Constitution of bloomery slags. Part 2: Medieval’, Journal of the Iron and Steel Institute 210, 478–488.
Paynter S 2006, ‘Regional variations in bloomery smelting slag of the Iron Age and Romano-British periods’, Archaeometry 48(2), 271–292.
Ploquin A, Mahe C and Leroy M 1996, ‘Reconstruction of ironmaking procedure: a progress report about petrographical studies of slaggy wastes from archaeo-ironmaking sites’ in G Magnusson (ed), The importance of ironmaking: technical innovation and social change. Vol 2 (Stockholm), 105–119.
Rehren T, Charlton M, Chirikure S, Humphris J, Ige A, Veldhuijzen H A 2007, ‘Decisions set in slag: the human factor in African iron smelting’, in S La Niece, D Hook and P Craddock (eds) Metals and mines: studies in archaeometallurgy (London), 211–18.
Reid A and MacLean R 1995, ‘Symbolism and the social contexts of iron production in Karagwe’, World Archaeology 27(1), 144–61.
Rose D, Endlicher G and Mucke A 1990, ‘The occurrence of ‘iscorite’ in medieval iron slags’, Historical Metallurgy 24(1), 27–32.
Sellet F 1993, ‘Chaine operatoire: The concept and its applications’, Lithic Technology 18 (1 and 2), 106–12.
Sillar B and Tite M S 2000, ‘The challenge of ‘technological choices’ for materials science approaches in archaeology’, Archaeometry 42(1), 2–20.
Tholander E and Blomgren S 1985, ‘On the classification of ancient slags by microstructure examination’, in T Edgren and H Jungner (eds), Proceedings of the third Nordic conference on the application of scientific methods in archaeology (Helsinki: ISKOS 5), 415–425.
Thomas G R and Young T P 1999a, ‘A graphical method to determine furnace efficiency and lining contribution to Romano-British bloomery iron making slags (Bristol Channel orefield, UK)’, in S M M Young, A M Pollard, P Budd and R A Ixer (eds), Metals in Antiquity (Oxford), 223–226.
Thomas G R and T P Young 1999b, ‘The determination of bloomery furnace mass balance and efficiency’, in A M Pollard (ed), Geoarchaeology: Exploration, Environments, Resources (London: Geological Society Special Publications 165), 155–164.
Tylecote R F, Austen J N and Wraith A E 1971, ‘The mechanism of the bloomery process in shaft furnaces’, Journal of the Iron and Steel Institute 209, 342–363.
White J R 1980, ‘Historic blast furnace slags: archaeological and metallurgical analysis’, Historical Metallurgy 14(2), 55–64.
Wynne E J and Tylecote R F 1958, ‘An experimental investigation into primitive iron-smelting techniques’, Journal of the Iron and Steel Institute 190(3), 339–348.
Young T 2011, ‘Some preliminary observations on hammerscale and its implications for understanding welding’, Historical Metallurgy 45(1), 26–41.
How to Cite
Daoust, A. (2021). One man’s waste is another man’s obsession: a theoretical framework for the study of ferrous slags. Historical Metallurgy, 48(1 & 2), 55-60. https://www.hmsjournal.org/index.php/home/article/view/90
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Articles
How to Cite
Daoust, A. (2021). One man’s waste is another man’s obsession: a theoretical framework for the study of ferrous slags. Historical Metallurgy, 48(1 & 2), 55-60. https://www.hmsjournal.org/index.php/home/article/view/90