Prehistoric Iron Bloomery Debris on a Small Island in Lake Aisetas (Eastern Lithuania)

Abstract

The archaeological discoveries of metallurgical waste in Lithuania have established that metallurgical activities were commonly connected to settlements. However, recent investigations suggest that even in the case of small-scale production on a homestead industry level, small isolated smelting bloomeries could have existed outside settlements. The work presented in this article introduces the material acquired from the newly discovered prehistoric site on a small island in Lake Aisetas in Eastern Lithuania. The data was acquired through surface and soil sampling surveys, magnetic susceptibility measurements, and small-scale excavations. Metallurgical waste weighing 150 kg was collected without additional evidence to facilitate archaeological interpretation of the finds and their origins. This article aims to characterise the metallurgical waste and deduce the nature of the activity and processes that produced these by-products on the island. Through an exploration of recovery circumstances and a macroscopic examination as well as composition and microstructure analysis of the metallurgical waste, this study intends to answer the following questions: what constitutes the metallurgical waste found on the island; what conclusions can be drawn regarding the ironworking techniques, production scope, and chronology; and how favourable was the studied area for early iron production?