Original scientific paper
Research on iron production in Podravina: methodological approaches, technological characteristics, and raw material sources
Tajana Sekelj Ivančan
orcid.org/0000-0001-5992-8434
; Institute of Archaeology, Zagreb, Croatia
*
Tena Karavidović
; Institute of Archaeology, Zagreb, Croatia
*
* Corresponding author.
Abstract
This paper provides an overview of research conducted to date on iron production in Podravina during Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages, with particular emphasis on methodological approaches, the technological characteristics of production as evidenced by the archaeological field record, and the provenance of raw materials. The research included systematic field surveys, geophysical prospection, targeted archaeological excavations, and geoarchaeological, geochemical, and mineralogical analyses. Surface finds of slag, fragments of clay furnace walls, and ceramic tuyères have enabled the identification of numerous sites associated with iron production and primary ironworking, while geophysical investigations have allowed for the more precise location of subsurface remains of furnaces and metallurgical waste. Archaeological evidence from the sites of Virje–Volarski breg, Sušine, and Hlebine–Velike Hlebine indicates that iron was produced by means of direct reduction in small smelting furnaces, with additional evidence for the post-reduction processing of semi-finished products. A particularly important outcome of the research is the confirmation of the local origin of the raw material, namely the exploitation of bog iron ore. By integrating landscape archaeology, archaeometallurgy, and geoarchaeology, the paper provides insights into the technological, economic, and environmental aspects of iron production in Podravina.
Keywords
Podravina; field survey; smelting furnaces; iron; slag; tuyères; smelting; forging; iron ore; geoarchaeology; archaeometallurgy
Hrčak ID:
350981
URI
Publication date:
25.6.2026.
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