Cultural Landscapes of Iron Metallurgy During Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages in the Sava and Drava River Basin – KulturFER
HEAD RESEARCHER:
INSTITUTION:
Institute of Archaeology, Zagreb, Croatia
DURATION:
48 months (29.12.2023 – 28.12.2027)
DESCRIPTION:
The project includes extensive and systematic research of iron metallurgy in the geographically and archaeologically dynamic area of the Sava and Drava river basins during antiquity and the early Middle Ages. Archaeological traces pointing to the production and processing of iron and the distribution of (semi)products in the area of the Sava and Drava river basins have been present since prehistoric times, but systematic research into iron metallurgy has not been carried out so far. Geological data on ore resources does not provide the possibility of studying provenance, exploitation, and technological usability of mineral resources in archaeological periods. The foundations for the project research objectives were laid through the previous research of a part of the proposed research group, in the scope of the project TransFER (2017-2021) and are reflected in - 1) the development of an interdisciplinary approach to ubication of deposits exploited in the past and provenance studies, 2) a significant level of data on the technology of iron production, which forms the basis for comparative studies, in a wider temporal and spatial context. It is hypothesized that the changes and/or continuity visible in the technology of iron production and processing, the organization of production processes and the distribution of (semi)products are a reflection of the influence of the natural preconditions of the landscape and social and economic circumstances through Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages. The focus is on 1) mineralogical and geochemical fingerprints of Pannonian and Dinaric raw materials (iron ore), 2) sources of raw materials and areas of exploitation of mineral resources, 3) comparative analysis of production technology and output (semi)products during Antiquity and the early Middle Ages, 4) organization of production processes and distribution of semi-finished products during the observed periods. In order to define the level and type of influence and the way this production branch of the economy functions over a longer period, a comprehensive methodological approach is devised, that approaches the research of the topic that connects landscape, technology, and social organization through an interdisciplinary prism.
Research objectives:
O1 Define the mineralogical composition and unique geochemical fingerprint of the Pannonian and Dinaric source raw materials (iron ore)
O2 Connect the source of raw materials with the archaeological remains of iron production (waste - slag) and (semi)products and to define the areas
of exploitation in the area of the Sava and Drava River basins during archaeological periods
O3 Define and compare technological processes, similarities and differences in the methods of production and processing of iron and the degree of
standardization of iron (semi)products during Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages in the observed area
O4 Establish the organization of production processes and the distribution of semi-finished products during Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages in the area of the Sava
and Drava River basins
The project is financed by the Croatian Science Foundation (IP-2022-10-1846).
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