CHEMICAL AND METALLOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS OF FERROUS AND NON-FERROUS METALLURGY PRODUCTS FROM THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES OF THE EARLY IRON AGE AND THE MIDDLE AGES OF THE SOUTHERN URALS

Abstract

The archaeometallurgical direction in archaeology is defined as an interdisciplinary field that studies all aspects related to the reconstruction of the processes of production and use of metals by human groups. Being a complex interdisciplinary discipline, archaeometallurgy is capable of demonstrating expressive results provided that the methods of archaeology, geochemistry, materials science, mineralogy, geophysics, physical chemistry and a number of other disciplines are integrated. Recently, the constant increase in new archaeological information obtained during excavations of settlement and burial sites of the Early Iron Age and the Middle Ages in the territory of the Southern Urals requires the formulation of new research tasks. The proposed article examines in detail six metal products (fragments of boilers, a bow, a bit, a spearhead and a mirror), which were analyzed using modern metallography methods. For the first time, an analysis of the chemical composition of the objects was performed and the features of the alloys used were established. Based on the analogies involved, the question was raised about the methods of producing cast iron utensils at the Yabalakly-1 settlement of the late Middle Ages, as well as non-ferrous metal products from monuments of the Early Iron Age, in addition, with regard to ferrous metallurgy.

Keywords

• southern urals
• metallurgy
• late middle ages
• chiyalik culture
• settlement
• burial ground
• early iron age
• metallographic analysis