Abstract:
During the course of our studies on archaeometallurgy in southeastern Iran, we tried
to survey the triangle of the Sirdjān, Neiriz and Shahr- e- Bābak.
As a result, remains of old iron mining residues of smelting furnaces, and iron
smelting slag heaps were observed and recorded. A few samples of iron ore and
smelting slag have been analysed classically and instrumentally. According to the
acquired results, it has been suggested that the blacksmiths of this region applied two
methods to produce iron: first, producing sponge iron, and second, of molten cast
iron. According to the classification and the dating, these metallurgical activities have
been estimated as old as 500 years before the advent of Islam and that continued till
the beginning of Islam.
نگارنده، پیرو مطالعات و پژوهشهای جاری خود در خصوص فلزکاری باستان در منطقة جنوب شرقی ایران به
بررسی در بخش کوچکی از منطقه ای واقع در مثلث شهرستانهای سیرجان، نیریز و شهربابک مبادرت نمود.
در نتیجة این فعالیت صحر ایی و عملی، شواهدی از معدن کاری کهن آهن، بقایای کوره های احیا و محل
های انباشت سرباره های ذوب آهن مشاهده، ثبت و ضبط شده است . تعدادی از نمونه های سنگ آهن و
سربارة ذوب که در محوطه های مورد مطالعه با روش آماری گردآوری شدند، با استفاده از روشهای کلاسیک و
دستگاهی مورد آزمایش قرار گرفتند . بررسی نتایج حاصل از آزمایشهای شیمیایی انجام شده روی این نمونه ها
نشان داده است که فلزگران این منطقه با استفاده از دو روش مختلف، موفق به تولید دو گونه آهن شدند؛ نوع
اول، آهن اسفنجی و گونة دوم چدن م ذاب بوده است . بر اساس مطالعات انجام شده، قدمت فعالیت های
فلزکاری موصوف به دوره ای که تقریبا از 500 سال قبل از اسلام آغاز می شود تا قرون اولیه اسلامی مربوط
می گردد.
Machine summary:
"Some archaeological surveys have so far been done in this area reveal remains of iron smelting furnaces and old mines (Stein, 1936: 206; Tylecote, 1970: 288- 89).
Good slag resulted from smelting should have 30% to 40% lime (Data Analysis Based on Information and Reports Presented by Esfahan Steel Plant).
Since lime and silica have an important role in the reduction of smelting heat and the sorting of iron from slag, the shortage of these two elements in slag can be indicative of the high amount of iron, inappropriateness of slag (stickiness, high viscosity and density), and low quality of the produced sponge iron.
Because of technical defects of these furnaces, the sponge iron contained impurities such as Silica, Phosphorus, Aluminium Oxide, Manganese Oxide, and other metallic Oxides whose existence in ore and slag have been proved by different experiments.
According to the evidences, a more developed technique in vogue in that area was the application of more complete furnaces whose production was molten cast iron rather than sponge iron.
The high availability of pottery dyes in Chāhak is indicative of applying the technique of cast iron smelting.
The present article, which is a combination of historical and archaeological investigations and laboratorial studies, showed that iron mining and smelting activities in the area under study continued from the beginning of Ist century A.
On the basis of present investigation , probably blacksmiths of Chāhak had extracted iron ores from the mines of Moshkān, Heneshk, and Bāgh- e- Maadan and transfer them to this site."
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