Abstract
The archaeological remains of a metallurgical workshop were excavated at Amboronala (northeast of Madagascar/1000–1200 CE). The bulk mineralogical (X-ray Diffraction) and chemical (X-ray Fluorescence) data on ores, building materials, and slag are used to carry out a mass balance calculation. The results show an important variability from one smelt to the other, reflecting a poorly controlled process. During each smelt, a given amount of building material contributes to the formation of the slag, and the conditions of reduction allow the extraction of a given amount of metal. These two main factors influence the composition of the slag independently and variably. This finding allows to make some inference on the origin of the technique and the organization of the production can be made.
Highlights
The northeastern coast of Madagascar was settled around the 9th century CE by seafaring people, the so-called Rasikajy [1,2]
X-ray fluoresIn this paper, we present the results of the bulk chemical analyses by X-ray fluorescence cence spectrometry (XRF)
The island was settled for several centuries by the seafaring Rasikajy, involved in the Indian Ocean trade network [48]. These remains are clearly related to the smelting of iron ore by the bloomery process
Summary
The northeastern coast of Madagascar was settled around the 9th century CE by seafaring people, the so-called Rasikajy [1,2]. The presence of iron smelting slag in northeastern Madagascar was formerly reported by several authors [1,7,8]. The total amount of slag can be estimated in the range of 500 to 1000 tons. They occur along the coast, mainly between Vohémar in the north and Antalaha in the south (Figure 1). The smelting technique based on this very simple bowl furnace was in use throughout the. Minerals 2021, 11, 900 smelting technique based on this very simple bowl furnace was in use throughout the entire entiredistrict. Topographicalmap mapofof the studied area with locations ofiron the smeltiron ing slag heaps [9,15,16].
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