Bronze in Archaeology: A Review of the Archaeometallurgy of Bronze in Ancient Iran

Metallography and microstructure interpretation of some archaeological tin bronze vessels from Iran

“…e l s e v i e r . c o m / l o c a t e / m a t c h a r and previously published [3,11] but these were reconsidered in this study next to other samples to compare and develop statistical interpretations. In total, twenty five pieces were chosen from 22 metallic vessels including 22 pieces from the vessel bodies (Nos.…”

“…Tin bronze is the first alloy used in most regions around the world, for example, the first tin bronze artefacts appear in west of Iranian Plateau at the end of Chalcolithic period (end of 4th millennium BC) [1][2][3].…”

Microscopic study on some Iron Age bronze objects from Western Iran

“…Fe and S have been detected as minor constituent, despite of a sample that arsenic has been measured in 2.87 wt%. Presence of the As and Pb amount of lower than two wt% may explain that it has entered into the alloy composition as an impurity from copper ores [1,15,16]. Also, the Iron Age bronze objects from Iran usually contain minor or trace amounts of lead and arsenic, suggesting its presence might characterize an impurity within the ores smelted [17,18].…”

“…The use of copper and its alloys to make different routine, religious and decorative objects has been common during the prehistoric period. For example, copper has been used in the Iranian Plateau for 9000 years and it has been continued with production of bronze alloy for about 5000 years to make various artefacts [1,2]. The long time and variety of production and usage of copper and its alloys in the ancient world prove that it is necessary to investigate about different aspects of its metallurgy to identify its various features.…”

“…Application of bronze alloy to manufacture decorative and religious objects was usual during the Iron Age of Iran (ca 1500-550 BC) [1,3,4]. One of the outstanding archaeological findings from the Iron Age of Luristan (western Iran) was different objects deposited in cemeteries and sites [5].…”