Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Um novo vestígio da prática da metalurgia no Castelo Velho de Safara (Moura)

2005; Volume: 8; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

0874-2782

António M. Monge Soares, M. Fátima Araújo, Pedro Valério,

Building materials and conservation

The presence of metallurgical operations associated with arsenical copper alloys during the Full/Late Copper Age, as well as, the cupellation of silver during the Late Iron Age or Roman occupation at Castelo Velho de Safara (Moura, Portugal) have already been identified. A slag like material on the inner surface of a ceramic pot bottom, probably belonging to the Late Iron Age, constitutes an additional metallurgical remain from this archaeological site. This material was analysed by Energy Dispersive X-Ray and Micro X-Ray Fluorescence spectrometries in order to determine its superficial compounds. The slag composition points out to the smelting of lead ores which inevitably takes place at high temperatures (≈1000oC). However the ceramic body do not show any signs of vitrification or slagging which indicates that this ceramic artefact had no direct participation on the smelting operation.