Studying the Ancient Metallurgy of Qazvin Plain Based on the Metal Samples Discovered from The Iron Age II Graves of Sagzabad Cemetery

Ancient metallurgy is one of the technological processes were seen from discovered natural native copper in Tappeh Zagheh (6th millennium B.C.). It was continued progressively in Tappeh Ghabrestan (5-4th millennium B.C.) by melting, molding and alloy-making followed by Iron technology in Tappeh Sagzabad (1st millennium B.C.). This research aims to investigate the archaeometallurgy of Qazvin Plain in Iron Age II period through studying the metal samples discovered from the Iron Age burials of Sagzabad. Analytical approached such as ICP-MS, SEM-EDX and metallography were used for alloy identification and provenance studies as well as microstructure analysis and metalworking technology. Chemical and microstructure analysis of the samples demonstrates the presence of basic copper alloy with high percent of nickel, cobalt, Iron and some other elements which reveals an uncontrolled technology. It also shows that samples have been treated with hard-working followed by annealing. Results of trace element analysis of burial samples revealed that there could be a same provenance for most of them, but a notable point is the presence of two metalworking technologies with different metallurgy level and different provenance in the late 2st millennium B.C. and early 1st millennium B.C. (Iron Age II) in Qazvin Plain.