The earliest box-shaped iron smelting furnaces in Asia: New data from Southern Siberia

Vodyasov, Evgeny V.; Zaitceva, Olga V.; Vavulin, Mikhail V.; Pushkarev, Andrey A.

doi:10.1016/j.jasrep.2020.102383

Cited by 6 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…Fig. 24 Overview over radiocarbon dates from the Russian Altai (Agatova et al 2018a, b;Vodyasov et al 2020) Although further data are required to refine our reconstruction of the iron production system, there is a clear relationship between the growth of the iron industry and the early Xiongnu Empire, which continued over time. The empires that were repeatedly newly established on the Mongolian Plateau, of which the Xiongnu was the first, provide a good opportunity to study the interconnectedness of the socio-political conditions and the production sector of the economy.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Because of the abundance of metallurgical sites in the Minusinsk Basin this region has been viewed as the center, from where iron-smelting technology was adopted in Mongolia, before it was further developed locally (Sasada andAmartuvshin 2014, 1023;Sasada 2015, 50;Sasada and Ishtseren 2020, 12). In addition, while it has been noted that the iron's total adoption in Eastern Eurasia is associated with the Xiongnu polity, this process is dated to the late first century BCE and the early first century CE, thus only during the empire's later phase (Amzarakov 2015a;Vodyasov et al 2020Vodyasov et al , 2021.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The innovation of iron and the Xiongnu – a case study from Central Mongolia

et al. 2023

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This article presents the oldest iron smelting furnaces of the Xiongnu Empire period in central Mongolia and argues that a significant smelting center existed at the site of Baga Nariĭn Am. Five iron smelting furnaces and four smelting installations were excavated, with a total 26 furnaces further identified through SQUID magnetometry. In combination with a review of data on iron production in contemporary Mongolia, the Transbaikal region, Tuva, the Minusinsk Basin and the Altai, we argue that this new data alters existing narratives of the adoption of iron in eastern Eurasia. While iron smelting as such was adopted from the Minusinsk Basin, where the oldest iron smelting furnaces in eastern Eurasia are currently found, we suggest that the driving force behind the massive boom in iron metallurgy from the second century BCE onward was the Xiongnu Empire. During the course of the Xiongnu Empire, the development of more efficient iron technology is evident, with the steppe empire also inventing a new furnace type. These findings are significant for understanding the dynamics of iron industries in the eastern Eurasian Steppe and paves the way for necessary work on metallurgical installations in the Minusinsk Basin and Tuva.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The innovation of iron and the Xiongnu – a case study from Central Mongolia

et al. 2023

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“…Most of the ancient iron-smelting sites in the area are of the Kosh-Agach type, referred to as 'box-shaped', 'linear', or 'rectangular' bloomery hearths [29,31] of multiple use. Furnaces of this type were most often placed at the edge of river terraces, in a slightly inclined position for discharging liquid slag into a pit connected with the hearth via a special channel (Figure 3), which allowed the use of the natural air flow along the valley.…”

Section: Nomad Iron-smelting Industry In Se Altai and Natural Prerequ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Potentiality of Charcoal as a Dendrochronological and Paleoclimatic Archive: Case Study of Archaeological Charcoal from Southeastern Altai, Russia

Agatova,

Nepop,

Myglan

et al. 2023

Climate

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Archaeological charcoal from ancient nomad iron-smelting furnaces collected in the highland southeastern Russian Altai has great potential as a material for tree ring analysis. Dendrochronological dating was applied to 355 viable samples (>80% of the 448 collected ones), prepared using a new protocol. Individual tree ring series of 155 (~43%) samples were used to construct nine floating chronologies from 76 to 290 rings long. The archaeological and radiocarbon data on charcoal that fueled the hearths of the Kosh-Agach type bracket the floating tree ring chronologies between the second and tenth centuries AD. The results demonstrate that long tree ring “steppe” chronologies can be obtained for intermontane basins in the arid zone of Southern Siberia, using the analysis of charcoal samples. A strong climate signal imprinted in the annual growth of trees allowed for crossdating samples with relatively few rings. The revealed common climate signal for larches from different locations indicates similar paleoclimate conditions of their growth despite the strong modern southeastward aridization trend in the region, which was not so pronounced ca. 1.5 ka ago. The further matching of these chronologies to the calendar timeline will provide reference for the precise comparison of climatic conditions in the floors of intermontane basins and in the flanking mountains.

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“…2018; Водясов, Зайцева, Константинов 2019). Итоги раскопок на Куяхтанаре уже опубликованы и позволили пересмотреть предложенную ранее датировку для печей кош-агачского типа и отнести время их появления к «предтюркской» эпохе (Vodyasov et al 2020).…”

Section: введение проблемы исследования памятников черной металлургии горного алтаяunclassified

“…Вопрос о происхождении крупных прямоугольных печей кошагачского типа до сих пор не решен, так как аналогов им в металлургических памятниках Евразии первой половины -середины I тыс. н. э. так и не найдено (Vodyasov et al 2020). Однако не исключено, что прототипом крупных прямоугольных сооружений кош-агачского типа могли служить похожие по форме хуннские гончарные печи.…”

Section: заключениеunclassified

The earliest iron smelting sites in the Altai Republic: New data from the Yustyd River valley

Vodyasov¹,

Zaitceva²

2020

Siberian Historical Research

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Аннотация. Статья посвящена древнейшим памятникам черной металлургии Горного Алтая. Публикуются новые радиоуглеродные даты из долины р. Юстыд, доказывающие существование железоплавильных технологий в I в. до н. э. -I в. н. э. Проведенные исследования позволили предположить синхронность крупных хуннских керамических и железоплавильных печей в долине р. Юстыд. Делается вывод о том, что генезис черной металлургии в Горном Алтае связан с расширением Хуннской державы, в результате чего юго-восточные районы Алтая были включены в центрально-азиатский ареал распространения хуннских металлургических традиций.Ключевые слова: металлургия железа, эпоха раннего железа, Горный Алтай, хунну, хунно-сяньбийское время, радиоуглеродное датирование * Исследование выполнено за счет гранта Российского научного фонда (проект № 18-78-10076).

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The earliest box-shaped iron smelting furnaces in Asia: New data from Southern Siberia

Cited by 6 publications

References 19 publications

The innovation of iron and the Xiongnu – a case study from Central Mongolia

The innovation of iron and the Xiongnu – a case study from Central Mongolia

Potentiality of Charcoal as a Dendrochronological and Paleoclimatic Archive: Case Study of Archaeological Charcoal from Southeastern Altai, Russia

The earliest iron smelting sites in the Altai Republic: New data from the Yustyd River valley

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