Rehren, T;
Boscher, L;
Pernicka, E;
(2012)
Large scale smelting of speiss and arsenical copper at Early Bronze Age Arisman, Iran.
Journal of Archaeological Science
, 39
(6)
pp. 1717-1727.
10.1016/j.jas.2012.01.009.
Text
Rehren_et al 2012 Speiss Arsenical Copper Iran JAS 39.pdf Access restricted to UCL open access staff Download (2MB) |
Abstract
We report analyses of different slag types found at the Early Bronze Age site of Arisman in North-West Iran. Here, an estimated 20 tons of slag provide evidence of sustained and large-scale production of metal, using both furnaces and crucibles. The results show that both speiss, an iron-arsenic alloy, and arsenical copper were produced, apparently side-by-side at the same site but using different ores and processes. We offer a tentative outline of the metallurgical processes involved in the production of these arsenic alloys and an explanation why speiss needed to be produced from arsenopyrite in a separate step, instead of using the mineral in its native form as a source for arsenic. We suggest that the speiss was then added either to secondary copper ore or to separately smelted copper metal, in order finally to produce arsenical copper in a regular and well-controlled process.
Type: | Article |
---|---|
Title: | Large scale smelting of speiss and arsenical copper at Early Bronze Age Arisman, Iran |
DOI: | 10.1016/j.jas.2012.01.009 |
Publisher version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2012.01.009 |
Language: | English |
Keywords: | Arsenic, Copper, Smelting, Alloy, Early Bronze Age, Iran, Arisman |
UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of S&HS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of S&HS > Institute of Archaeology UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of S&HS > Institute of Archaeology > Institute of Archaeology Gordon Square |
URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1342850 |
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