Domestic pottery sherds used in non-ferrous metalworking: a study from early medieval Prague

0509265 - ARÚ 2020 RIV DE eng J - Journal Article
Zavřel, Jan - Čiháková, J. - Ježek, Martin
Domestic pottery sherds used in non-ferrous metalworking: a study from early medieval Prague.
Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences. Roč. 11, č. 10 (2019), s. 5339-5358. ISSN 1866-9557. E-ISSN 1866-9565
R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA16-22207S
Institutional support: RVO:67985912
Keywords : ceramics * sherds * metallurgy * cupellation * non-ferrous metals * Early Middle Ages
OECD category: Archaeology
Impact factor: 2.063, year: 2019
Method of publishing: Limited access
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs12520-019-00865-w

Among archaeometallurgical remains from Prague of the tenth and eleventh centuries AD, attention has been focused on a single type of finds: fragments of common ceramic kitchenware secondarily utilised in assaying ores and in the production and refinement of non-ferrous metals. Fifteen samples from several sites were selected for EDS-SEM analyses of various parts of glassy, slaggy and metallic coatings, of metallic prills and of the primary and secondary mineral phases in these solidified melts. Variable intermediate products of silver and gold extraction were identified, as were examples of the successful cupellation and refinement of these metals. The secondary utilisation of silver scrap has been ruled out by the chemical composition of the coatings on the majority of sherds with a significant Ag content. In contrast, substantial concentrations of other metallic elements (e.g. Bi, Sn) and coatings of Cu- and Fe-sulphide mixtures in some samples correspond to the early stages of the metallurgical processing of non-ferrous metals (ore concentrates) or initial metallurgical intermediate products.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0300010