Smithing Items from Excavations of the Archeological Site of the Kobylikha Settlement (the Nenets Autonomous Area, Russia)
摘要
This study presents the results of the examination of iron objects from excavations of the Novoborsk-type settlement of Kobylikha in 2019, 2022, and 2023, uncovering the area of 84 m2 (the Nenets Autonomous Area, Russia,). Analytical work was conducted using optical and scanning electron microscopes. The iron knives were made of cryogenic phosphorous and pure iron. Fluorine was detected as an impurity. The alloys were characterized by fine- and medium-grained ferritic structure. Ferrite-perlite and martensitic structures of the alloys were identified in two fragments. Archaeometallographic analysis indicates that all items were solid-forged. The shaping of the knives was carried out using the simplest technological scheme which included forging from blanks, cementation of raw materials, and forging, followed by thermal treatment of the products. Phosphorus liquefaction zones were found on the two knives. The uneven graininess of the alloys and the presence of slag and copper inclusions indicate a low level of blacksmithing skill. The poor preservation of many items includes the possibility of their manufacturing using a more complex technology. Blacksmithing of metal was carried out in the settlement area. The low number of iron-containing items indicates a minor role in local iron production from iron oxide ores. Blacksmithing primarily served the internal needs of the settlement’s inhabitants. Comparison with earlier research suggests the spread of similar iron metallurgy schemes throughout the territory inhabited by the Novoborsk collectives during the Middle Ages in the Lower Pechora region (Bolshezemelskaya tundra).