A METALLURGICAL INVESTIGATION OF METALWORKING REMAINS FROM SNETTISHAM, NORFOLK
Author(s): Shadreck Chirikure, Sarah Paynter
133.5kg of iron working debris was recovered, the vast majority of which was iron smelting waste. All of the slag from the site had been disposed of in ditches or pits or had been re-used. A large proportion of the waste was from mid to late Roman contexts, although approximately half was from contexts that also contained some later material or insecurely dated finds. Smelting probably took place at a location near to the site in the mid to late Roman period. The slag produced was phosphorus-rich and therefore smelting is likely to have produced some phosphoric iron. The phosphorus was derived from the ore, likely to be concretionary ironstone nodules and possibly some ferruginous sandstone, obtainable locally from the Lower Greensand. A small amount of smithing slag was also identified. A stone-lined hearth excavated at the site may have been used for ore roasting or alternatively may simply have been lined with ferruginous sandstone and used for a non-metallurgical application.
- Report Number:
- 50/2002
- Series:
- CfA Reports
- Pages:
- 15
- Keywords:
- Metal Working-Fe Roman Technology
