A Study on Metallurgical Artifacts Excavated from Luojiaba Site H235 in the Eastern Sichuan Region during the Eastern Han Dynasty

Gaobo Li; Yanxiang Li; Chenyuan Li; Kunlong Chen; Luhong Zheng; Weidong Chen

doi:10.3390/met14101151

Metals (Oct 2024)

A Study on Metallurgical Artifacts Excavated from Luojiaba Site H235 in the Eastern Sichuan Region during the Eastern Han Dynasty

Gaobo Li,
Yanxiang Li,
Chenyuan Li,
Kunlong Chen,
Luhong Zheng,
Weidong Chen

Affiliations

Gaobo Li: Institute of Cultural Heritage and History of Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
Yanxiang Li: Institute of Cultural Heritage and History of Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
Chenyuan Li: Institute of Cultural Heritage and History of Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
Kunlong Chen: Institute of Cultural Heritage and History of Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
Luhong Zheng: Sichuan Provincial Institute of Archaeology and Cultural Relics, No. 5, Section 4, Renmin South Road, Chengdu 610041, China
Weidong Chen: Sichuan Provincial Institute of Archaeology and Cultural Relics, No. 5, Section 4, Renmin South Road, Chengdu 610041, China

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/met14101151
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 14, no. 10
p. 1151

Abstract

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Currently, research remains limited on ironworking workshops in China and even throughout East Asia. The discovery of Luojiaba Site H235 in 2021 provides significant new material on this issue. This paper comprehensively organized the metallurgical artifacts and employed technological methods such as XRF and SEM-EDS to analyze the slag and hammerscale excavated from Luojiaba Site H235. First, the chemical composition and microstructural phases of the slag were analyzed, with an examination of the hammerscale. Second, the processes leading to the formation of slag and hammerscale are discussed. Third, based on the scale of the site, the chemical composition, and the characteristic shapes of the slag, combined with Serneels’ theoretical framework for quantitative analysis of forging slag, the slag unearthed from Luojiaba Site H235 was tentatively categorized as forging slag. This suggests that the workshop primarily produced or repaired iron objects through forging. Finally, considering the furnace shapes observed at contemporary sites and discussions on the potential sources of iron materials at the Luojiaba site, speculations are made regarding the furnace structure at the Luojiaba site and the possible origin of its iron materials. Unlike ironworking workshops at other contemporary sites, the location of the forging workshop at Luojiaba Site H235 presents a distinctly different choice, situated within a village or town during the Eastern Han Dynasty. This choice of location may reflect a phenomenon closer to consumer proximity. Therefore, analyzing metallurgical artifacts unearthed from Luojiaba contributes to understanding the operation of ironworking workshops and the distribution of resources in village-level settlements in the eastern Sichuan region during the Eastern Han Dynasty.

Published in Metals

ISSN: 2075-4701 (Online)
Publisher: MDPI AG
Country of publisher: Switzerland
LCC subjects: Technology: Mining engineering. Metallurgy
Website: http://www.mdpi.com/journal/metals

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