Late Roman copper smelting in Polis Chrysochous, Cyprus

Abstract

Two Late Roman slag heaps located near Polis Chrysochous, western Cyprus, were studied to reconstruct the technological processes of copper production. This is the second richest mining region on the island. The Pelathousa slag heap (4th – 6th century CE) is located at the foothills of the Troodos Mountains, about 5 km inland from the coast, while the Argaka slag heap (3rd – 8th century CE) is situated by the coast. An assemblage of 112 slag pieces collected from the two slag heaps was macroscopically examined. Subsequently 49 of the samples were chemically analysed using Hand Held portable X-ray Fluorescence (HHpXRF). A smaller subset of the analysed samples were selected for optical microscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy-Dispersive Spectrometry (SEM-EDS). The chemical and microscopic analysis showed that the samples from both slag heaps have a similar composition, including a wide variability in manganese content, which ranges from less than 1 wt% to almost 40 wt%. Manganese has most likely been added as a flux procured from the umber deposits of the Pera Pedi formation which is readily accessible from the nearby mines. The prevalence of sulfide inclusions across all samples indicates that the slag assemblage derives exclusively from copper-matte smelting. The results are then discussed to understand the difference in manganese content, and the organization of copper production within the landscape.