Posted on 01/22/2006 3:32:36 PM PST by blam
Ancient furnace sparks archaeological interest
A UNIQUE site in the whole of the Eastern Mediterranean and expected to shed more light on ancient copper mining has been uncovered in the Mathiatis area, about 20km south of Nicosia.
It consists of the base of a copper smelting furnace with its last charge of slag still in place.
The discovery was made by students participating in an educational research programme in cooperation with Inter Community School Cyprus Project 2005, under the direction of Dr Walter Fasnacht. The participants from the staff of the Department of Antiquities were G. Georgiou, archaeologist, and E Christophi, technician.
The furnace part was treated and restored in the conservation workshop of the Cyprus Museum, where it is now exhibited.
Many samples of slag, metal ore and furnace materials were sent for analysis to the Swiss Federal Labs of Materials Testing (EMPA Dubendorf). Some 20 samples examined so far show that most finds were copper matter and not slag or metal.
According to a Department of Antiquities press release, this proves the excavated furnace is associated with an intermediate step of the smelting of copper ores rather than with the refining of raw copper to the final product.
Another unique discovery was that the ancients harvested olive wood specifically for use in the production of copper.
This was clearly shown by the analysis abroad of about 300 charcoal samples for wood species identification, in order to reconstruct vegetation and climatic changes in the first millennium BC on Cyprus. Over 90% turned out to be olive wood (olea europaea), mainly branches.
Sent abroad
In addition, soil samples from inside and around the furnace have been sent abroad and will be examined to define the dynamics of trace element migration in the ground.
The investigation was carried out in what is known as the South Mathiatis Mine.
Besides digging, all members of the team were involved in surveying the area around the two modern mines of Mathiatis, the gold mine and the copper mine dated to the 20th century
GGG Ping.
BTTT
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Native copper is a good find. A simple furnace will clear out the inclusions and alloys and spear points of alloy are fairly easy to pour.
why olive wood? just curious.
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