Unlocking the Past: How Georgia’s Bronze Age Smelters Ignited the Iron Age – Discoveries by Arkeonews

A recent study from Georgia’s Kvemo Bolnisi site reveals that ancient metallurgists were experimenting with iron oxides during the Bronze Age, significantly before iron became a key material in technology. This finding changes how experts understand the beginnings of iron production.

Originally dug up in the late 1950s, Kvemo Bolnisi was thought to be an early iron smelting site. However, a new analysis by researchers Nathaniel L. Erb-Satullo and Bobbi W. Klymchuk from Cranfield University shows that it was primarily a copper smelting workshop active around the late second millennium BC. They discovered that lumps of hematite, an iron oxide, were intentionally added to help smelt copper.

Understanding the Shift from Bronze to Iron

The move from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age, around 1200 BC, was a transformative period. Bronze, which is made from copper and tin, had been highly valued for making tools and weapons. Iron, however, was more plentiful, tougher, and cheaper. Thus, iron technology reshaped economies and military power.

Before this study, it remained unclear how ancient metallurgists transitioned to using iron. Did they stumble upon it, or were they experimenting? The evidence from Kvemo Bolnisi strengthens the idea that early metallurgists intentionally worked with iron oxides, marking a crucial step in the development of iron smelting.

Hematite: A Key Ingredient

By analyzing metallurgical residues from Kvemo Bolnisi, the researchers demonstrated that copper was the dominant product. Yet, the presence of hematite suggests that Bronze Age workers understood its properties and added it as a flux to improve the smelting process. This shows they recognized iron oxides as useful materials, not just accidental byproducts.

Experts believe this knowledge could have paved the way for later iron production techniques. Dr. Klymchuk noted, “This understanding of materials reflects a significant cognitive leap, showing that they were not just following traditions but innovating.”

Kvemo Bolnisi: A Hub of Experimentation

The Kvemo Bolnisi site is unique because it combines settlement and smelting operations. This proximity likely encouraged daily experimentation by the metallurgists. Unlike other areas where smelting occurred in isolation, Kvemo Bolnisi was part of a living community, fostering innovation.

Implications for Iron’s Origins

Although Kvemo Bolnisi was not producing iron items, the practices here likely set the stage for later developments in iron metallurgy. If copper was intentionally reduced in favor of hematite, usable iron could have been produced, suggesting a fluid relationship between copper and iron technologies.

Comparing this to similar findings globally—places like Timna in the Levant and ancient Peru—Kvemo Bolnisi emerges as the earliest clear evidence of iron oxide use in copper metallurgy, dating back over 3,000 years.

Conclusion

The discoveries at Kvemo Bolnisi highlight the creativity and intentionality of ancient metallurgists. They weren’t merely following traditions; they were innovators exploring material science long before such a concept existed. While iron may not have been the primary focus, the foundations for the Iron Age were indeed laid in these early furnaces.

For more insights on this topic, refer to the study by Erb-Satullo and Klymchuk published in the Journal of Archaeological Science here.

Cover Image: A reconstruction of a Bronze Age smelting workshop in Georgia illustrates how these early engineers employed hematite, setting the stage for the Iron Age.

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