Danesh
Hefazat va Maremat
Volume 9, Issue 1 (6-2026)
KCR 2026, 9(1): 49-59 |
Back to browse issues page
Download citation:
BibTeX | RIS | EndNote | Medlars | ProCite | Reference Manager | RefWorks
Send citation to:
BibTeX | RIS | EndNote | Medlars | ProCite | Reference Manager | RefWorks
Send citation to:
Kamali A A, Razani M, Beheshti S I, Fadaei H, Ebrahimzadeh V. Investigation of the Ancient Chah Jamal Khoshomang Metal Smelting Site in Yazd Province Based on Geochemical and Mineralogical Studies. KCR 2026; 9 (1) :49-59
URL: http://journal.richt.ir/kcr/article-1-368-en.html
URL: http://journal.richt.ir/kcr/article-1-368-en.html
Research Institute of Cultural Heritage and Tourism
Abstract: (697 Views)
The Chah Jamal Khoshomang metal smelting sites are located in Yazd Province, in the Kharanaq district east of Ardakan County, approximately 25 km south of Saghand village and 120 km from the city of Yazd. This study aims to identify the smelting technology and the provenance of the ores used at these sites through field investigations, petrographic analysis, and chemical analysis by inductively (ICP-OES) of slag samples collected from two smelting sites. Petrographic results reveal the presence of the silicate minerals pyroxene and fayalite within a glassy matrix, together with metallic phases comprising native copper, copper sulfide minerals (chalcocite and covellite), and the iron-bearing mineral wüstite. The high proportions of silica and iron oxides in the chemical analysis results, together with the presence of CaO and MgO, indicate the use of siliceous and carbonate fluxes to reduce slag viscosity; combined with the observed mineralogical assemblage, this evidence suggests a smelting temperature of approximately 11001200 °C and a reducing, relatively controlled furnace atmosphere. These smelting sites, which were established for copper extraction, also contain lead, zinc, and silver, indicating that the raw ore feeding these furnaces was derived from a polymetallic deposit. Regarding the provenance of this raw material, ancient exploratory tunnels and pits located approximately two kilometers from the sites can be identified as the local source of feedstock for these furnaces. The findings of this study advance our understanding of ancient metal extraction technology in the central Iranian plateau.
Keywords: Archaeometallurgy, Iranian Plateau, Ancient Metal Smelting, Chah Jamal Khoshomang, Geochemical Studies, Smelting Furnace.
Type of Study: Research, Original, Regular |
Subject:
Archaeometry and authenticity assessment of museum objects and historical-cultural properties.
Received: 2026/01/14 | Accepted: 2026/04/20 | Published: 2026/08/10
Received: 2026/01/14 | Accepted: 2026/04/20 | Published: 2026/08/10
References
1. Bérard, E., Dillmann, P., Téreygeol, F., Gemelli, E., Hérubel, A., Bourgarit, D., Mille, B., & Toureille, V. (2020). Ancient armour provenance by LA-ICP-MS analysis of microscopic slag inclusions. Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry, 35(5), 901–913. https://doi.org/10.1039/C9JA00388A
2. Dehno, S. E., Kamali, A. A., Beheshti, S. I., Ebrahimi, M., & Aarab, A. (2025). Unveiling Shahdad: Exploring ancient copper reserves and metallurgical practices on Iran's Southeast Plateau. L'Anthropologie, 129(1), 103343. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anthro.2024.103343
3. Emami, M., Dardeniz, G., Vallcorba, O., Pourzargan, V., & Tayyari, J. (2022). Towards a deeper understanding of the third millennium BC Iranian metallurgy: Use of synchrotron light for characterizing arsenic-bearing minerals in metal objects from Espidej. Surface and Interface Analysis, 54(4), 463–474. https://doi.org/10.1002/sia.7076
4. Eskandari, N., & Emami, S. M. (2022). Re-tracing copper metallurgy in the Shahdad region (3rd millennium BCE). Journal of Archaeological Studies, 14(2), 143–168. https://doi.org/10.22059/jarcs.2022.345208.143139
5. Fenn, T. R. (Ed.). (2012). Archaeometallurgy section. SAS Bulletin, 35(2), 19–28. Society for Archaeological Sciences.
6. Giardino, C. (2022). Archaeometallurgy: A discipline between past and future. In S. D'Amico & V. Venuti (Eds.), Handbook of cultural heritage analysis (pp. 673–702). Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
7. Hashemi, Z., Nezafati, N., & Demant, D. (2024). Looking for ancient metalworking sites of Luristan (Western Iran): A preliminary archaeometallurgical approach. METALLA, 31(1), 43–64.
8. Kamali, A., Beheshti, S. I., Azizi Kharanaghi, M. H., & Darkhal, N. (2022). Physicochemical analysis of slags from Yazd Province: A metallurgical approach to extractive ores (Khatam County). Research Institute of Cultural Heritage and Tourism, Conservation Department. (In Persian).
9. Mortazavi, M., Salehi Kakhki, A., Golozar, M. A., & Tala'i, H. (2011). Preliminary metallurgical investigation of copper-based artifacts at Tepe Sagzabad in Qazvin Plain, Iran (1500–800 BC). Iranian Journal of Archaeological Studies, 1(2), 49–59.
10. Oudbashi, O., Emami, S. M., & Davami, P. (2012). Bronze in archaeology: A review of the archaeometallurgy of bronze in ancient Iran. In L. Collini (Ed.), Copper alloys: Early applications and current performance enhancing processes (pp. 153–178). InTech.
11. Oudbashi, O., Naseri, R., & Malekzadeh, M. (2016). Technical studies on the Bronze Age metal artefacts from the graveyard of Deh Dumen, South-Western Iran (third millennium BC). Archaeometry, 58(1), 60–77. https://doi.org/10.1111/arcm.12158
12. Pigott, V. C. (2004). On the importance of Iran in the study of prehistoric copper-base metallurgy. In T. Stöllner, R. Slotta, & A. Vatandoust (Eds.), Persia's ancient splendour: Mining, handicraft and archaeology (pp. 28–43). Deutsches Bergbau-Museum.
13. Thornton, C. P. (2009). The emergence of complex metallurgy on the Iranian Plateau: Escaping the Levantine paradigm. Journal of World Prehistory, 22(3), 301–327. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10963-009-9020-0
14. Thornton, C. P., & Lamberg-Karlovsky, C. C. (2004). A new look at the prehistoric metallurgy of Southeastern Iran. Iran, 42, 47–59. https://doi.org/10.1080/05786967.2004.11834645
15. Vatandoust, A., Parzinger, H., & Helwing, B. (Eds.). (2011). Early mining and metallurgy on the Western Central Iranian Plateau: The first five years of work (Archäologie in Iran und Turan Band 9). Philipp von Zabern.
Send email to the article author
| Rights and permissions | |
 |
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. |