THE METALLOGRAPHY OF MEDIEVAL AGRICULTURAL AND QUOTIDIAN IRON UTENSILS FROM THE RURAL SETTLEMENT OF ZABALLA (BASQUE COUNTRY)

摘要

This paper deals with the metallographic examination of 18 medieval iron objects of economic and domestic character, and is set out as preliminary results of the research project Basquesmith. This project aims to explore the production of iron utensils used by a specific part of the social spectrum: the peasantry. The artefacts, most of which date to the Early Medieval period (8th–10th centuries AD) were excavated at a single rural settlement in the region of the álava Plain (northern Spain), and correspond to ordinary objects such as nails or scissors, which are under-represented in archaeometric studies in favour of luxury and exotic items—typically weapons. The metallographic analysis revealed that most of the items are low carbon iron that had been extensively cold worked, whereas composite structures of iron and steel were less frequently present. The iron-working technologies reconstructed here are discussed in relation to the accessibility of iron by the medieval rural communities, which is recurrently noted as scant by the written sources, as well as being supported by negative evidence in the archaeological record. Finally, a scenario on iron production during medieval times is explored that contradicts the purported paucity of iron within the rural communities.