A Study on Ancient Metal Works in Meymeh of Isfahan, Based on Petrography of Metal Slags

Considering the fact that there exist numerous metal mines in Iran, many ancient sites of Iran have been established due to their connection to metal mines and mining. In the same relation, Karkas Mountains have always played an important role in the field of metal works through the history of Iran. Although this region of paramount importance in this regard, no specific research has been carried out on its metal works of the Islamic period. This research tries to identify and introduce sites that have had metal work evidences and have been situated at the region of historical Meymeh, the westernmost part of Karkas. Accordingly, petrographic tests have been carried out on slags which were abundantly found on the surface of the sites. This paper firstly attempts to introduce the sites in Meymeh where metal works have been done in. in the next phase, type of metals that have been melted within the Islamic period were identified. At the same time, it had to be known whether petrographic studies can determine the functional index of metal meltage in the said area? How does identification of these functional indices, along with archaeological evidences, impact the upswing of settlements of the Islamic period based the expertise of metal meltage in the region of Meymeh in Isfahan province? In May 2016 five site of metal melting were explored through the abundance of slags on their surface. Five slags were randomly selected for petrographic tests. The results proved that they were all made of iron. The sites where metals have been melted in date back to the Islamic period as the ceramics found on the surface of the sites belong to the said period. The petrographic tests reveal that slags of Rāvanj Site which belong to the Arsacid-Sasanian period are very similar to the ones found in Gazratū Site which date back to the Sasanian-early Islamic period in terms of appearance and texture. This fact proves the continuation of a metal melting technique in a period from the ArsacidSasanian to the early Islamic one. In addition, it seems that metal melting technique and extraction of iron from its ore in Azrān Site were weaker than the one employed in Gazratū Site while these two sites are contemporaneous. This fact can also be analysed through other archaeological finding in a way that the extent of Azrān was large enough to be regarded as a Sasanian-early Islamic city which was situated at an ancient road. It seems that this Sasanian-early Islamic city which was across an ancient road and the quality of its slags was poorer than other older and contemporaneous sites, metal melting was not the main profession of its inhabitants. Regarding the extent of the city and being across an ancient road, the inhabitants’ living was dependant on other things and melting was used very limitedly and its expertise was not so sophisticated in comparison with Gazratū and Rāvanj.