A study of the roman iron bars of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer (Bouches-du-Rhône, France). A proposal for a comprehensive metallographic approach

in Journal of Archaeological Science (2011)

The aim of this paper is to contribute to enlighten the organisation on the circulation and on the manufacture of iron bars and the possible bar standardisation of a given set of artefacts in order to ... [more ▼]

The aim of this paper is to contribute to enlighten the organisation on the circulation and on the manufacture of iron bars and the possible bar standardisation of a given set of artefacts in order to throw more light on the commercial rules during Antiquity. A set of 48 iron based metal bars made from the Roman wrecks of Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer (France) has been studied using comprehensive metallographic observations from macroscopic to microscopic scales and slag inclusion (SI) analyses. A comparison of the results allows one to distinguish different metal qualities (inclusions, pores, welding, carbon content) that may be linked to morphological types which shows the possible standardisation of this set of artefacts. Moreover, SI analyses allow to distinguish various origin for the Primary Pieces of Metal, thereby enlightening a specific organisation of the iron bar production line during the late Roman period. [less ▲]

Résaux de production et standards de commercialisation du fer antique en Méditerranée : les demi-produits des épaves romaines des Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer (Bouches-du-Rhône, France)

in Revue Archéologique de Narbonnaise (2008), 41

Off the coast of Saintes-Marie-de-la-Mer, in the confluence of one of the ancient branches of the Rhone, eleven wrecks transporting mainly iron have been discovered. Dated from the turn of our era (the ... [more ▼]

Off the coast of Saintes-Marie-de-la-Mer, in the confluence of one of the ancient branches of the Rhone, eleven wrecks transporting mainly iron have been discovered. Dated from the turn of our era (the end of the first century BC - first century AD), each one delivers between 20 and 150 tons of iron which break down into eight standardized semi-finished products (types and subtypes included), sometimes stamped. We propose to specify these typological and epigraphic characteristics through archeometric studies undertaken on around fifty of these bars. Metallographic and chemical characteristics are then established in each unit. They make it possible to understand the technical reality of a complex typology and to refine our knowledge of the ferrous production networks in the Roman Mediterranean world. [less ▲]