Document Content
Slag Summary
|
Locus |
Total # of fragments |
% of total # of fragments |
Total weight (g) |
% of total weight |
|
41 |
0 |
0% |
0 |
0% |
|
42 |
2 |
1% |
3 |
0% |
|
43 |
7 |
2% |
29 |
2% |
|
44 |
2 |
1% |
5 |
0% |
|
45 |
248 |
76% |
1138 |
82% |
|
46 |
7 |
2% |
30 |
2% |
|
47 |
0 |
0% |
0 |
0% |
|
48 |
29 |
9% |
78 |
6% |
|
49 |
1 |
0% |
5 |
0% |
|
50 |
4 |
1% |
7 |
1% |
|
51 |
4 |
1% |
13 |
1% |
|
52 |
5 |
2% |
13 |
1% |
|
53 |
0 |
0% |
0 |
0% |
|
54 |
0 |
0% |
0 |
0% |
|
Baulk Trim |
16 |
5% |
75 |
5% |
|
Total |
325 |
100% |
1396 g |
100% |
Over the five years of excavation in T90, exceptionally high quantities of slag have been recovered; in the four years of excavation from 2017 to 2022, T90 yielded 21.681 kg of ferric slag. The vast majority of this slag originated in deposits underlying and predating the construction of EPOC4. In 2023, we did not excavate any deposits underlying EPOC4’s floor surface, and so recovered far smaller quantities of slag. In 2023, T90 yielded a total of 325 fragments of ferric slag, weighing 1.396 kg.
By far the largest concentration of slag was recovered from Locus 45, a deposit associated with the abandonment and destruction of EPOC4. In this deposit, we recovered 248 fragments of slag, weighing 1.138 kg and amounting to 82% of all slag recovered by weight. Strangely, an equivalent deposit, Locus 52, produced only small quantities of slag; just 5 fragments, or 13 g, of slag were found in Locus 52, amounting to just 1% of all slag recovered in 2023, by weight. The discrepancy between these two loci is puzzling and may have to do with their positioning withing the trench. Locus 52 was situated to the north and at a higher elevation than Locus 45; as both deposits are associated with the abandonment and destruction of EPOC4, a dense and heavy material, like slag, may have eroded downhill, thus explaining the relatively high quantities of slag found in Locus 45 and the relative dearth found in Locus 52.
Notably, Locus 48, a deposit infilling the rectangular cut into EPOC4’s plaster-rich floor surface (Locus 47), contained the second-highest concentration of slag in T90 in 2023. We recovered 29 fragments from Locus 48, weighing 78 grams and amounting to 6% of all slag recovered this year by weight. This is in contrast to the other deposits infilling the Locus 47 cut, Loci 46 and 51, which yielded only 7 and 4 fragments of slag, respectively.
The relative paucity of slag recovered from T90 in 2023 also is mirrored by the relative paucity of crucible fragments and coarseware vessels and tile fragments with adhered slag found in 2023. The relative absence of evidence for metallurgy, compared to prior years of excavation, likely results from us not excavating deposits underlying EPOC4, which have traditionally yielded the most robust evidence for metalworking.
|
Locus |
# cruc. frags |
# coarseware sherds with adhered slag |
# tile frags with adhered slag |
# slag frags |
Total # finds associated with metallurgy |
% finds associated with metallurgy |
|
41 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0% |
|
42 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
1% |
|
43 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
7 |
7 |
2% |
|
44 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
1% |
|
45 |
20 |
2 |
2 |
248 |
272 |
76% |
|
46 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
7 |
8 |
2% |
|
47 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0% |
|
48 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
29 |
32 |
9% |
|
49 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0% |
|
50 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
5 |
1% |
|
51 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
5 |
1% |
|
52 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
7 |
2% |
|
53 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0% |
|
54 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0% |
|
Baulk Trim |
1 |
0 |
0 |
16 |
17 |
5% |
|
Total |
29 |
2 |
2 |
325 |
358 |
100% |
All slag recovered is magnetic, indicating that iron ore was not extracted, as it is still present in the slag. Rather, the slag likely results from the smelting and refining of copper ores and is related to bronze production.
| Descriptive Attribute | Value(s) |
|---|---|
| Entry Type | Other |
| Title | t90-2023 (KRK) Slag Summary, p. 277-284 |
| Entry Year | 2023 |
| Trench Book Entry Date | 2023-08-06 |
| Start Page | 277 |
| End Page | 284 |
| Descriptive Attribute | Value(s) |
|---|---|
|
Is Part Of
Vocabulary: DCMI Metadata Terms (Dublin Core Terms) |
Trench Book T90 2023
Vocabulary: Murlo |
Suggested Citation
Anthony Tuck. (2025) "t90-2023 (2023-08-06):277-284; other from Europe/Italy/Poggio Civitate/Tesoro/Tesoro 90/T90 2023". In Murlo. Anthony Tuck (Ed). Released: In prep. Open Context. <https://opencontext.org/documents/ffb785d1-d8ff-4a91-b765-c35994a9ac76>
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