Omid Oudbashi

Late Bronze Age and Iron Age I contexts at Sagzabad have yielded copper-based artefacts and metallurgical debris, but production practices and metal supply remain poorly characterised. This study analyses a selected assemblage of twelve artefacts, seven slags fragments, and one ore fragment by optical microscopy, SEM-EDS, ICP-OES, and WDXRF; Pb-isotope analysis was undertaken for the artefacts only. Eight artefacts are compositionally unalloyed copper and four are tin bronze, although the small and unevenly distributed sample does not support a site-wide diachronic trend. Metal inclusions and slag microstructures provide evidence for metallurgical and solidification processes but do not independently identify the original ore type. Micro-area analyses of slags’ glassy matrix and associated phases provide qualitative constraints on slag formation. Pb-isotope signatures of the artefacts are heterogeneous and show limited compatibility with several Iranian ore datasets, including Veshnaveh, but the absence of isotope data for the slags and ore prevents testing cogenesis or assigning a specific source. The results therefore provide preliminary evidence for alloy variation and metallurgical activity, while raw-material provenance and the route of tin alloying remain unresolved.

Artefacts constitute primary resources in archaeological sites, preserving valuable information about past societies. The reliability of these primary resources depends on our ability to understand...

This study investigates aspects of polychromy and the materials and techniques used in the decoration of architectural and sculptural elements at the Persepolis World Heritage Site. While evidence of ancient surface decoration has long been documented on stone reliefs and pigment lumps excavated at the site, many samples in the Persepolis Museum remain unexamined. A group of pigment lumps in green, red, yellow, blue, and white were recently analyzed using XRD, SEM-EDS, ICP-OES, µ-Raman, and µ-FTIR spectroscopy. Results identified natural copper carbonate as the green pigment, a refined calcite-dolomite mix as white, and iron oxides as red and yellow. Significantly, the blue pigment was identified as Egyptian blue, whose production technology was likely introduced from the West. These findings confirm previous analyses while providing new insights into the materials and techniques of Achaemenid polychromy, advancing our understanding of painting practices on the Iranian Plateau during the first millennium BCE.

High‐tin bronze artifacts, known as Sefidruy vessels and preserved in the Rasht Archaeology Museum, Iran, were examined to investigate patina formation and corrosion processes. Dating mainly to the Sasanian period (224–651 ce ) and originating from Gilan province, these objects reflect a distinct copper–tin alloying tradition. Elemental analyses confirmed 20wt%–22 wt% tin with minor lead, whereas metallography revealed α and β (martensitic) phases characteristic of β bronze. X‐ray diffraction identified cuprite, malachite, and cassiterite, formed through selective phase corrosion. Results demonstrate the relationship between alloy composition, microstructure, and patina development, offering insights into technological practices and artifact preservation.

A group of copper-based artifacts in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, lacking clear archaeological provenance, has been attributed to early and pre-modern Islamic Iran based on their stylistic features and forms. To gain insight into the materials and metalworking techniques used in their production, these artifacts were subjected to microanalytical investigation. A non-invasive micro-XRF technique was employed to characterize the alloy composition of the artifacts and their decorative inlays. Additionally, the microstructure of a selected group of artifacts was examined using scanning electron microscopy–energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and metallography techniques. The results revealed that the artifacts were produced with a range of copper-based alloys, including leaded ternary (Cu-Zn-Sn-Pb), high-tin bronze, and brass. The inlays consisted of silver (alloyed with copper), impure copper, and alloyed gold. The leaded ternary artifacts exhibited a cored cast microstructure with evidence of cold-working and numerous large lead globules, while the tin bronze and brass artifacts displayed signs of the thermo-mechanical operations used to shape them. Based on these findings, Iranian copper-based metalworking in the Islamic period is shown to have employed a variety of compositions as well as a range of shaping and decorative techniques.

Twelve metal artifacts from recent excavations at the Sasanian archaeological site of Jahāngir in western Iran have been analyzed. These items include both decorative and utilitarian artifacts. The samples were examined using micro‐X‐ray fluorescence (μ‐XRF), scanning electron microscopy with energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (SEM‐EDS), and metallography techniques. The analysis revealed that 11 of the artifacts were made from various copper alloys, including impure copper, tin bronze, leaded tin bronze, and brass. One ring was found to be composed of a lead‐antimony alloy. The microstructures of the artifacts showed a range of nonmetallic inclusions and varying degrees of thermomechanical processing used to achieve their final forms.

Fourteen fragments of translucent stone bowls excavated from the Bronze Age Ghara Cheshmeh site, northeastern Iran, were studied to characterize their chemical and mineralogical properties. The analytical methods included petrography, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) techniques. The results revealed that all vessels are made of calcite alabaster or banded calcite with high purity, although some small amounts of dolomite and quartz were also found. The partial chemical–mineralogical homogeneity of the stones used for vessel production suggests that the presumably same source or quarry used to provide the raw stone. However, evidence of stone carving was also discovered at the site, showing possibility of local sources.

A group of metal objects excavated at Qasr-e Abu Nasr in south-central Iran in the 1930s, now in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, has been analyzed to examine metalworking techniques and metallurgical processes. Thirty-three objects were studied and analyzed by micro-X-ray fluorescence, scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and metallography techniques. The results of these analyses show a wide range of copper alloy compositions including impure copper, tin bronze, brass, leaded tin bronze, leaded brass and leaded ternary Cu-Sn-Zn (gunmetal) alloys. Also, two silver-copper and one pewter object were identified among the analyzed objects. The results of this interdisciplinary study provide new insights onto the archaeology of Qasr-e Abu Nasr, as well as present new information about the history and evolution of copper-base metallurgy on the Iranian Plateau during the Sasanian and early Islamic periods.