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Ancient Metallurgy at Arisman, Central Iran; A Reconsideration

Conference Paper · November 2016

DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.16947.22564

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4 authors:

Nima Nezafati Ernst Pernicka

Islamic Azad University Tehran Science and Research Branch Curt Engelhorn Zentrum Archäometrie and University of Heidelberg
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Barbara Helwing Dirk Kirchner

The University of Sydney Deutsches Bergbau-Museum Bochum
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 The First Iran- German Symposium on Archaeometry, TABRIZIAU, November 1-4, 2016

Ancient metallurgy at Arisman, central Iran;

A reconsideration
Nima Nezafati*1, Ernst Pernicka2, Barbara Helwing3, Dirk Kirchner4

1 Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch, 14778 Tehran, Iran, nima.nezafati@gmail.com
*(Corresponding author)
2 Universität Heidelberg, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
3 University of Sydney, NSW 2006 Australia
4 German Mining Museum, 44791 Bochum, Germany

Abstract

The Arisman ancient metallurgical site in north central Iran hosts huge
metallurgical remains from the Late Fourth to Early Third millennium BCE which
attest to an extensive production of arsenical copper and silver at the same time.
Despite some concrete scientific investigations performed on the site, some
questions about the provenance of the ore, the technological procedures utilized
and the possible connection between copper and silver production have remained
open. In this paper, beside the reassessment of the previous analytical data, some
of the metallurgical remains including ore and slag pieces as well as litharge
fragments were reexamined and analyzed using different mineralogical and
geochemical methods. The results show a clearer provenance for the ore as well as
a sharper picture for the metallurgical processes. It seems that the ore has been
provided from at least two polymetallic ore deposits in central Iran. The ore
contained copper, arsenic, lead, and silver and was processed in two interconnected
steps of smelting and cupellation producing arsenical copper and silver. This
research was performed in the frame of the first author’s postdoctoral stay in
Germany and was financially and technically supported by the Gerda-Henkel-
Foundation and the Curt-Engelhorn-Zentrum-Archäometrie Mannheim.

Keywords: Archaeometallurgy, arsenical copper, cupellation, mineralogy,

geochemistry, lead isotope analyses

1
 ‫‪The First Iran- German Symposium on Archaeometry, TABRIZIAU, November 1-4, 2016‬‬

‫ﻣﻄﺎﻟﻌﺎت ﻓﻠﺰﮐﺎري ﮐﻬﻦ در ارﯾﺴﻤﺎن )اﯾﺮان ﻣﺮﮐﺰي(؛‬

‫ﯾﮏ ﺑﺎزﻧﮕﺮي‬

‫‪4‬‬
‫ﻧﯿﻤﺎ ﻧﻈﺎﻓﺘﯽ*‪ ،1‬ا‪‬رﻧﺴﺖ ﭘﺮﻧﯿﺘﺴﮑﺎ‪ ،2‬ﺑﺎرﺑﺎرا ﻫ‪‬ﻠﻮﯾﻨﮓ‪ ،3‬د‪‬رك ﮐ‪‬ﺮﺷﻨﺮ‬

‫*‬
‫‪ 1‬داﻧﺸﮕﺎه آزاد اﺳﻼﻣﯽ‪ ،‬واﺣﺪ ﻋﻠﻮم و ﺗﺤﻘﯿﻘﺎت ﺗﻬﺮان )ﻧﻮﯾﺴﻨﺪه ﻣﺴﺌﻮل ﻣﮑﺎﺗﺒﺎت( ‪nima.nezafati@gmail.com‬‬
‫‪ 2‬داﻧﺸﮕﺎه ﻫﺎﯾﺪﻟﺒﺮگ آﻟﻤﺎن‬
‫‪ 3‬داﻧﺸﮕﺎه ﺳﯿﺪﻧﯽ اﺳﺘﺮاﻟﯿﺎ‬
‫‪ 4‬ﻣﻮزه ﻣﻌﺪن ﺑﻮﺧﻮم آﻟﻤﺎن‬

‫ﭼﮑﯿﺪه‬

‫ﻣﺤﻮﻃﻪ ﻓﻠﺰﮐﺎري ﮐﻬﻦ ارﯾﺴﻤﺎن ‪-‬واﻗﻊ در ﺷﻤﺎل اﯾﺮان ﻣﺮﮐﺰي‪ -‬ﺷﺎﻣﻞ ﺣﺠﻢ ﻋﻈﯿﻤﯽ از ﺑﻘﺎﯾﺎي ﻓﻠﺰﮐﺎري از اواﺧﺮ‬
‫ﻫﺰاره ﭼﻬﺎر م ﺗﺎ اواﯾﻞ ﻫﺰاره ﺳﻮم ﭘﯿﺶ از ﻣﯿﻼد اﺳﺖ ﮐﻪ ﻧﺸﺎﻧﺪﻫﻨﺪه ﺗﻮﻟﯿﺪ ﻗﺎﺑﻞ ﺗﻮﺟﻪ ﻣﺲ ارﺳﻨﯿﮑﯽ و ﻧﻘﺮه ﺑﻪ ﻃﻮر‬
‫ﻫﻤﺰﻣﺎن ﻣﯽ ﺑﺎﺷﺪ‪ .‬ﻋﻠﯿﺮﻏﻢ ﭘﺎره اي از ﻣﻄﺎﻟﻌﺎت ﺟﺪي ﮐﻪ ﺑﺮ روي اﯾﻦ ﻣﺤﻮﻃﻪ اﻧﺠﺎم ﺷﺪه اﺳﺖ‪ ،‬ﭘﺮﺳﺶ ﻫﺎي‬
‫ﭼﻨﺪي درﺑﺎره ﻣﻨﺸﺎء ﮐﺎﻧﺴﻨﮓ‪ ،‬ﻓﺮاﯾﻨﺪﻫﺎي ﺗﮑﻨﻮﻟﻮژﯾﮏ ﺑﮑﺎر رﻓﺘﻪ و ارﺗﺒﺎط ﺑﯿﻦ ﺗﻮﻟﯿﺪ ﻣﺲ و ﻧﻘﺮه ﺑﺎﻗﯽ ﻣﺎﻧﺪه اﻧﺪ‪ .‬در‬
‫اﯾﻦ ﻧﻮﺷﺘﺎر‪ ،‬ﻋﻼوه ﺑﺮ ارزﯾﺎﺑﯽ ﻣﺠﺪد داده ﻫﺎي آﻧﺎﻟﯿﺰي ﻣﻨﺘﺸﺮ ﺷﺪه ﻗﺒﻠﯽ‪ ،‬ﺑﺨﺸﯽ از ﺑﻘﺎﯾﺎي ﻓﻠﺰﮐﺎري ﮐﻬﻦ‪ ،‬ﺷﺎﻣﻞ‬
‫ﻗﻄﻌﺎت ﺳﺮﺑﺎره و ﮐﺎﻧﺴﻨﮓ و ﻧﯿﺰ ﻗﻄﻌﺎت ﻟﯿﺘﺎرژ ﺑﺎ اﺳﺘﻔﺎده از ﻣﻄﺎﻟﻌﺎت ﻣﺨﺘﻠﻒ ﮐﺎﻧﯽ ﺷﻨﺎﺳﯽ و ژﺋﻮﺷﯿﻤﯿﺎﯾﯽ ﻣﻮرد‬
‫ﺑﺮرﺳﯽ ﻣﺠﺪد و ﺗﺠﺰﯾﻪ ﻗﺮار ﮔﺮﻓﺘﻨﺪ‪ .‬ﻧﺘﺎﯾﺞ ﺑﺪﺳﺖ آﻣﺪه ﻧﺸﺎﻧﺪﻫﻨﺪه ﯾﮏ ﻣﻨﺸﺎءﯾﺎﺑﯽ ﻣﺸﺨﺺ ﺗﺮ ﺑﺮاي ﮐﺎﻧﺴﻨﮓ ﻣﻮرد‬
‫اﺳﺘﻔﺎده و ﻧﯿﺰ ﺗﺼﻮﯾﺮي دﻗﯿﻖ ﺗﺮ ﺑﺮاي ﻓﺮاﯾﻨﺪﻫﺎي ﻓﻠﺰﮐﺎري ﺑﮑﺎر رﻓﺘﻪ ﻫﺴﺘﻨﺪ‪ .‬ﺑﻪ ﻧﻈﺮ ﻣﯽ رﺳﺪ ﮐﻪ ﮐﺎﻧﺴﻨﮓ ﻣﺮﺑﻮﻃﻪ‬
‫از ﺣﺪاﻗﻞ دو ﮐﺎﻧﺴﺎر ﭼﻨﺪﻓﻠﺰي در اﯾﺮان ﻣﺮﮐﺰي ﺗﺎﻣﯿﻦ ﺷﺪه ﺑﺎﺷﺪ‪ .‬ﭼﻨﯿﻦ ﮐﺎﻧﺴﻨﮕﯽ ﺷﺎﻣﻞ ﻣﺲ‪ ،‬ارﺳﻨﯿﮏ‪ ،‬ﺳﺮب و‬
‫ﻧﻘﺮه ﺑﻮده ﮐﻪ ﺗﻮﺳﻂ دو ﻣﺮﺣﻠﻪ ﻣﺘﺼﻞ ﺑﻪ ﻫﻢ ذوب و ﻏﺎل ﮔﺬاري ﻣﻮﺟﺐ ﺗﻮﻟﯿﺪ ﻣﺲ ارﺳﻨﯿﮑﯽ و ﻧﻘﺮه ﺷﺪه اﺳﺖ‪.‬‬
‫اﯾﻦ ﭘﮋوﻫﺶ ﻃﯽ دوره ﭘﺴﺎدﮐﺘﺮي ﻧﻮﯾﺴﻨﺪه ﻧﺨﺴﺖ در آﻟﻤﺎن و ﺗﺤﺖ ﺣﻤﺎﯾﺖ ﻓﻨﯽ و ﻣﺎﻟﯽ ﺑﻨﯿﺎد ﮔﺮدا‪-‬ﻫﻨﮑﻞ و‬
‫ﻣﻮﺳﺴﻪ ﺑﺎﺳﺘﺎن ﺳﻨﺠﯽ ﮐﻮرت ا‪‬ﻧﮕﻞ ﻫ‪‬ﻮرن ﺑﻪ اﻧﺠﺎم رﺳﯿﺪه اﺳﺖ‪.‬‬

‫واژﮔﺎن ﮐﻠﯿﺪي‪ :‬آرﮐﺌﻮﻣﺘﺎﻟﻮرژي‪ ،‬ﻣﺲ ارﺳﻨﯿﮑﯽ‪ ،‬ﻏﺎل ﮔﺬاري‪ ،‬ﮐﺎﻧﯽ ﺷﻨﺎﺳﯽ‪ ،‬ژﺋﻮﺷﯿﻤﯽ‪ ،‬اﯾﺰوﺗﻮﭘﯽ ﺳﺮب‬

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