Interdisciplinary Research into Iron Metallurgy along the Drava River in Croatia

Presenting the results of the TransFER project, this study uses a wide-ranging methodology to examine the evidence for, and nature of, iron production in the lowland area of the central Drava River basin in Croatia during late Antiquity and the early Middle Ages. The results testify to the importance and longevity of iron production

Interdisciplinary Research into Iron Metallurgy along the Drava River in Croatia – The TransFER Project presents the results of the scientific project ‘Production of Iron Along the Drava River During Antiquity and Middle Ages: Creation and Transfer of Knowledge, Technology and Commodities – TransFER project (IP – 2016 – 06 – 5047)’ funded by the Croatian Science Foundation. The research presented explores the evidence for and nature of iron production in the lowland area of the central Drava River basin in Croatia during late Antiquity and the early Middle Ages, from the turn of the 4th to the early 9th centuries. The wide-ranging methodology of the project features non-destructive archaeological site identification (surface survey and geophysics), archaeological excavation of sites with attested bloomery iron production and processing along with their associated dwelling and settlement structures, as well as experimental archaeology. The record of bloomery iron production and processing is explored via an interdisciplinary approach which examines the technology used as well as the natural resources (bog iron ores, wood and plant remains) exploited in the production process. The results of the research testify to the importance and longevity of iron production in the area of the Drava river valley.

List of Contributors Preface - Tajana Sekelj Ivancan Methodological Approach to Detecting Archaeological Sites with Metallurgical Activities on the Territory of the River Drava Basin and the Possibilities of Analysing the Collected Information - Ivan Valent, Tatjana Tkalcec and Sinisa Krznar Results of Geophysical Investigations Related to the Excavated Remains of the Late Antique and Early Mediaeval Iron Production Sites in the Podravina Region, Croatia - Branko Music and Barbara Horn Archaeological Record of Iron Metallurgy Along the Drava River - Tajana Sekelj Ivancan and Tena Karavidovic Absolute Dating of the Virje and Hlebine Sites - Katarina Botic Mineralogical and Geochemical Characterization of Selected Bog Iron Ores and Archaeological Samples of Roasted Iron Ores and Iron Slags Towards Their Provenance Studies in the Podravina Region - Tomislav Brenko, Sibila Borojevic sostaric and Stanko Ruzicic Prehistoric Settlement at Virje-Volarski Breg/Susine - Marko Dizdar and Daria Loznjak Dizdar The Archaeological Remains of Settlement at Sites with Smelting Workshop Features in the Podravina Region (Croatian Drava River Basin) - Tajana Sekelj Ivancan Anthracological Analysis of Samples from Four Sites with Smelting Activity Around Virje and Hlebine - Katarina Botic and Metka Culiberg Plant Macro-Remains and Traces of Leaves from Virje and Hlebine - Renata sostaric and Tihana Vilovic Bone Remains from Archaeological Sites in the Podravina Area with Traces of Metallurgical Activity - Snjezana Kuzir, Lucija Bastiancic and Nikolina skvorc Methodological Framework for Experiments Related to Bloomery Iron Production Procedures: Ore Preparation and Smelting - Tena Karavidovic The Spatial Database of the TransFER project - Tena Karavidovic Knowledge Gathering and Dissemination of the Smelting Process Experience to the Wider Community - Robert Cimin Evidence of Iron Metallurgy at the Okuje Site - from Findings to Presentation in the Exhibition and More - Aleksandra Bugar Scientific and Professional Activities within the TransFER Project (2017-2021) - Tajana Sekelj Ivancan and Tena Karavidovic, List of Contributors

Preface – Tajana Sekelj Ivančan DOI: 10.32028/9781803271026-1Ivan Valent, Tatjana Tkalčec and Siniša Krznar DOI: 10.32028/9781803271026-2Branko Mušič and Barbara Horn DOI: 10.32028/9781803271026-3Tajana Sekelj Ivančan and Tena Karavidović DOI: 10.32028/9781803271026-4Katarina Botić DOI: 10.32028/9781803271026-5Tomislav Brenko, Sibila Borojević Šoštarić and Stanko Ružičić DOI: 10.32028/9781803271026-6Marko Dizdar and Daria Ložnjak Dizdar DOI: 10.32028/9781803271026-7Tajana Sekelj Ivančan DOI: 10.32028/9781803271026-8Katarina Botić and Metka Culiberg DOI: 10.32028/9781803271026-9Renata Šoštarić and Tihana Vilović DOI: 10.32028/9781803271026-10Snježana Kužir, Lucija Bastiančić and Nikolina Škvorc DOI: 10.32028/9781803271026-11Tena Karavidović DOI: 10.32028/9781803271026-12Tena Karavidović DOI: 10.32028/9781803271026-13Robert Čimin DOI: 10.32028/9781803271026-14Aleksandra Bugar DOI: 10.32028/9781803271026-15Tajana Sekelj Ivančan and Tena Karavidović DOI: 10.32028/9781803271026-16

Tajana Sekelj Ivančan graduated archaeology at the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Zagreb where she also obtained her doctorate in 1999. She is a Scientific Advisor – Second Appointment (permanent position) at the Institute of Archaeology in Zagreb, where she has been leading the TransFER project funded by the Croatian Science Foundation. Tajana’s scholarly interests include Early Middle Ages, High Middle Ages, settlements, ceramics, smelting workshops, smelting furnaces, and iron ore processing. Tajana received the Josip Brunšmid annual award of the Croatian Archaeological Society for her monograph Podravina in the Early Middle Ages published in 2012. ;
Tena Karavidović graduated archaeology at the University of Zagreb, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. She is currently a doctoral fellow – research assistant at the Institute of Archaeology in Zagreb, and a member of theTransFER Project research group. Her doctoral thesis is related to technological and social aspects of iron production during late Antiquity and early Middle Ages.

• Edited by Tajana Sekelj Ivančan
• Edited by Tena Karavidović