Evidence of Early Bronze Age Metallurgy from the Ancient Sites of Varzaneh Plain (Isfahan), Considering Mineralogical, Chemical, and Provenance Studies Article Swipe
Mohammadamin Emami
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YOU?
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· 2025
· Open Access
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· DOI: https://doi.org/10.46586/metalla.v29.2025.i1.3-32
YOU?
·
· 2025
· Open Access
·
· DOI: https://doi.org/10.46586/metalla.v29.2025.i1.3-32
The Varzaneh Plain is rich in ancient sites from various periods, ranging from the Early Bronze Age II (2700- 2200 BC) to the Islamic middle centuries. Among the 268 sites surveyed, 79 contained slag and metal fragments, indicating the prevalence of metal smelting activities in this region. Two sites from the Early Bronze Age (nos. 013 and 051) yielded significant evidence of slag, crucibles, metal objects, and litharge. This period marks a peak of prosperity for the Varzaneh Plain, contrasting with the relative decline of nearby ancient sites such as Sialk and Arisman. The analysis of metal materials from the archaeological investigation and excavations, using a polarizing light microscope (with reflected light), x-ray fluorescence (XRF), and scanning electron microscope (SEM-EDX), revealed that the metal smelting used copper sulphide deposits as raw resources. XRF scanning shows the presence of As, Ni, Pb, and Ag as accessory elements. These results, along with the lead isotope test, provide strong evidence for the connection between the metal products of the Varzaneh Plain and the mines of Nakhlak (Pb-Zn-Ag) in the vicinity of the Anarak City and Darhand copper occurrence in Karkas Mountain.
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- https://metalla.org/index.php/METALLA/article/download/12553/12296
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Evidence of Early Bronze Age Metallurgy from the Ancient Sites of Varzaneh Plain (Isfahan), Considering Mineralogical, Chemical, and Provenance StudiesWork title
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articleOpenAlex work type
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2025Year of publication
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2025-11-19Full publication date if available
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Mohammadamin EmamiList of authors in order
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https://doi.org/10.46586/metalla.v29.2025.i1.3-32Publisher landing page
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https://metalla.org/index.php/METALLA/article/download/12553/12296Direct link to full text PDF
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diamondOpen access status per OpenAlex
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https://metalla.org/index.php/METALLA/article/download/12553/12296Direct OA link when available
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0Total citation count in OpenAlex
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