Preliminary Metallurgical Investigation of Copper-Based Artifacts at Tepe Sagzabad in Qazvin Plain, Iran (1500-800 BC)

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

1 Faculty of Conservation, Art University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran

2 Department of Materials Engineering, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan, Iran

3 Department of Archaeology, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Tepe Sagzabad, a site situated on the Qazvin Plain of north-central Iran, was excavated from 1970 to 1998 by the Institute of
Archaeology of Tehran University. Recent excavations by H. Tala’i (1997-1999) yielded some metal artifacts dating to the
Early Iron Age. Ten of these copper-based samples were investigated using inductively coupled plasma optical emission
spectroscopy (ICP-OES), scanning electron microscopy combined with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEMEDX)
and optical microscopy (OM). The results of these analyses showed that the metal objects at Tepe Sagzabad are
made of different copper alloys, including: pure copper, copper-arsenic and copper-tin. In addition, multiple procedures,
including hot-working, cold-working, and annealing were used as manufacturing techniques. The copper-based objects
from Tepe Sagzabad provide evidence for the continued use of pure copper and arsenical copper alongside tin bronzes on
the Iranian Plateau during the Early Iron Age.

Keywords

References

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Iranian Journal of Archaeological Studies
Volume 1, Issue 2 - Serial Number 2
most visited articles
April 2011
Pages 49-59

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