Archaeometry of early medieval tuyeres questions the chronology of smelting sites in the Moravian Karst

Abstrakt
The Moravian Karst, a region of significant European cultural heritage, preserves archaeological evidence of iron smelting activities dating back to the late 8th century CE. A cluster of smelting sites near the present-day municipality of Olomučany is particularly notable for its abundant remains of early medieval iron production. This study evaluates a ceramic assemblage of tuyeres from various Olomučany sites using macroscopic, microscopic, and archaeometric methods, including ED-XRF, XRD, and SEM-EDS. These analytical techniques enabled the attribution of tuyeres to specific stages of the iron production process and facilitated the identification of the clay sources used in their manufacture. As demonstrated in this paper, both the methodology and the results have the potential to enhance our understanding of early medieval smelting practices—not only within the Moravian Karst but also in broader archaeological and metallurgical contexts.

Citace
Michal Hlavica, Ondřej Merta, Karel Slavíček, Dalibor Všianský, Jana Štulířová, Archaeometry of early medieval tuyeres questions the chronology of smelting sites in the Moravian Karst, Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, Volume 66, 2025, 105322, ISSN 2352-409X, Dostupné z: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105322