2000 ist Journal 7.2 der Zeitschrift METALLA erschienen. Die Leserschaft erwartet wie üblich ein Portfolio an vielfältigen Beiträgen und Themen.
The usage of antimony- and silver-rich copperartefacts in the southern part of france is well known due to the studies by Junghans et al. (1960, 1968). The region around Cabrières/Hérault encloses the oldest fahlore-mines (fig. 1), dated to the beginning of the 3rd millennium BC (Ambert et al. 1984, Ambert 1995). The aim of this investigation is the creation of a reference-group "copper from Cabrières". Therefore a geochemical and isotopical characterisation of sample material from the whole metallurgy-chain: ores, slags, copper-prills, ingots and artefacts is necessary. This preliminary report describes the geochemical characterisation of ore-samples, taken from the mining-sites at La Roussignole (fig. 2), to get a basis for the above described reference group. In figure 2 the eight mines discovered at La Roussignole are shown. For the first step of the investigation described in this paper we analysed copper-ores from the mines LR 1, LR 2, LR 5 and LR 7. LR 3 was drowned, at LR 4 no copper-ore could be found, LR 6 was collapsed and LR 8 seems to be a quartzite quarry. The predominant copper-ore in the mines and on the dumps at La Roussignole is tetrahedrite, with high contents of silver, arsenic, antimony and zinc. Malachite and Azurite have also been observed, but in obvious lower amounts. It is shown, that a theoretical metal published by Ambert 1984 could be smelted from this ores. Furthermore the investigations explain that a characterisation of the other mining sites around Cabrières - Pioch Farrus and Vallarade - is absolutely necessary and that in addition to the geochemical characterisation the lead isotope abundance has to be determined.
The Middle Ages saw a broad supremacy of Islamic culture over Western life and tradition. Following a rapid spread during the late seventh and early eighth centuries AD, Islam soon dominated the entire region from the westernmost parts of North Africa to Central Asia in the north-east, and the Sudan and Pakistan to the south. For many centuries to come, this resulted in geopolitical contact zones of the European West and the Islamic World throughout the Mediterranean, from Spain and Sicily to the Balkans, with repeated invasions of western forces into the eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East. The impact of Islamic culture on the development of science and medicine in Europe, and the transmission of the classical Greek heritage, has been immensely fruitful for the West, particularly through the coexistence of Islam, Judaism and Christianity in Spain and southern Italy. The most lasting legacy of this period in western perception of medieval Islam, however, appears to be based on the various military disasters Europeans experienced during the Crusades and the later struggles against Islamic expansion into eastern Europe: the allegation of Islam as a “Religion of the Sword” and the superiority of Arabic weaponry and particularly sword-making.
Bezug der aktuellen Ausgabe: metalla@bergbaumuseum.de oder +49 234 282538-29
Preis: Ein Einzelheft kostet 20,00 €
- M. Prange: La Roussignole. Geochemische Charakterisierung prähistorischer Abbaue in Cabrières/Hérault, pp. 47-54
Download (PDF) - The usage of antimony- and silver-rich copperartefacts in the southern part of france is well known due to the studies by Junghans et al. (1960, 1968). The region around Cabrières/Hérault encloses the oldest fahlore-mines (fig. 1), dated to the beginning of the 3rd millennium BC (Ambert et al. 1984, Ambert 1995). The aim of this investigation is the creation of a reference-group "copper from Cabrières". Therefore a geochemical and isotopical characterisation of sample material from the whole metallurgy-chain: ores, slags, copper-prills, ingots and artefacts is necessary. This preliminary report describes the geochemical characterisation of ore-samples, taken from the mining-sites at La Roussignole (fig. 2), to get a basis for the above described reference group. In figure 2 the eight mines discovered at La Roussignole are shown. For the first step of the investigation described in this paper we analysed copper-ores from the mines LR 1, LR 2, LR 5 and LR 7. LR 3 was drowned, at LR 4 no copper-ore could be found, LR 6 was collapsed and LR 8 seems to be a quartzite quarry. The predominant copper-ore in the mines and on the dumps at La Roussignole is tetrahedrite, with high contents of silver, arsenic, antimony and zinc. Malachite and Azurite have also been observed, but in obvious lower amounts. It is shown, that a theoretical metal published by Ambert 1984 could be smelted from this ores. Furthermore the investigations explain that a characterisation of the other mining sites around Cabrières - Pioch Farrus and Vallarade - is absolutely necessary and that in addition to the geochemical characterisation the lead isotope abundance has to be determined.
- Th. Rehren & O. Papakhristu: Cutting Edge Technology. The Ferghana Process of medieval crucible steel smelting, pp. 55-69
Download (PDF) - The Middle Ages saw a broad supremacy of Islamic culture over Western life and tradition. Following a rapid spread during the late seventh and early eighth centuries AD, Islam soon dominated the entire region from the westernmost parts of North Africa to Central Asia in the north-east, and the Sudan and Pakistan to the south. For many centuries to come, this resulted in geopolitical contact zones of the European West and the Islamic World throughout the Mediterranean, from Spain and Sicily to the Balkans, with repeated invasions of western forces into the eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East. The impact of Islamic culture on the development of science and medicine in Europe, and the transmission of the classical Greek heritage, has been immensely fruitful for the West, particularly through the coexistence of Islam, Judaism and Christianity in Spain and southern Italy. The most lasting legacy of this period in western perception of medieval Islam, however, appears to be based on the various military disasters Europeans experienced during the Crusades and the later struggles against Islamic expansion into eastern Europe: the allegation of Islam as a “Religion of the Sword” and the superiority of Arabic weaponry and particularly sword-making.