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Mineralogy and geochemistry of iron slags towards their provenance studies in Podravina region, NE Croatia

Archaeological excavation and field surveys in the Podravina region led to the discovery of numerous sites with traces of iron ore smelting and processing of the bloom that were dated to the Late Antique and Early Middle Ages. The discovered slag can be divided into two main categories: smelting slag (furnace bottom and tap slag) and primary smithing slag. The main focus of this study is 33 samples of tap slags and furnace bottom slags from archaeological sites HlebineVelike Hlebine, Virje-Sušine, and Virje- Volarski Breg and their provenance towards locally discovered bog iron ores using mineralogical and geochemical analyses. X-ray diffraction confirmed fayalite as the main mineral phase, with occurrences of other Fe minerals, such as wüstite and magnetite. The geochemical analysis confirmed high Fe contents ranging between 52.30 and 66.46 wt. %, typical values for iron bloomery. Previous studies confirmed bog iron ore occurrences in the study area, both in archaeological as well as geological contexts. Therefore, provenance studies were carried using major, trace, and rare earth elements. Non- Reducible components ratios and principal component analysis revealed some differentiation between the samples from different archaeological sites, mostly due to aluminum contents. The geochemical signature of both bog iron ores and iron slags was constructed using 26 major, trace, and rare earth elements. Both ore and slag signatures are characterized by similar shapes, peaks, and patterns, implying a genetic connection between the bog iron ores and iron slags in the Podravina region.

smelting slag ; bog iron ore ; provenance ; archaeometry ; geoarchaeology ; ICP-MS ; ICP-AES ; XRD

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