Analysis of Finds (Ingots and Scrap) from the Production Centers Near Zlatar, Preslav District and Novosel, Shumen District (Bulgaria) (part I)
Analysis of Finds (Ingots and Scrap) from the Production Centers Near Zlatar, Preslav District and Novosel, Shumen District (Bulgaria) (part I)

Summary/Abstract: Determining the character of the alloy based on the chemical elements is a simple task in historical metallurgical research. It is difficult to clarify from which ore deposit the metal was extracted. Copper and other ores from each deposit, in addition to the main component-copper, also contain many other elements that form a variety of qualitative and quantitative combinations. The metal extracted from the ore duplicates the elements that are in it. By the elements composing the metal, the general combination of the elements of the ore can be established with sufficient accuracy. Finding the source of the raw material is more important than determining the type of alloy. Then, the trade routes along which the metal and its products traveled in the different communities and cultures are revealed. Thus, the relationship between the community of metallurgists, middlemen and consumers of the product is restored. The group of ingots, as one of the main raw materials for production, as well as the products set aside for scrap, which is the second important raw material, is no less an interesting topic. On the contrary, it poses fundamental questions concerning the entire production process and its stages and sequence of processes. Among the main tasks that can be solved with the results of the research of the elemental composition of the entire set of products are the origin of the metal and the ways of its arrival in the workshops of the production centers in the vicinity of Preslav. In addition, the main metals and alloys used in the manufacture of these products can be determined, as well as its composition and the main alloying elements in the alloy, which determine its character, can be determined. The main results do provide a starting point for reasoning in these directions, and the accumulation of an extensive database will make the conclusions even more complete and definitive.

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