• Journal of Conservation Science
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.519-532
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• 2017

Studies on ancient ironmaking technologies are primarily based on archaeological surveys and scientific analysis data, and technological systems are examined by comparing the results of restorative experiments. In this study, to examine the ancient iron production technologies such as smelting and smithing in the Jungwon area, a restoration experiment was conducted based on archaeological data, and the iron and slag, etc. produced in the experiment were analyzed. Further, the changes in physicochemical properties due to the smelting of the raw material, specifically, iron ore were determined, and the smithing process, which involves fabrication of ironwares, was analyzed along with the characteristics of each step. In the case of smelting, increasing recovery rates and production of high-quality primary iron material were important for the following processes. For the iron bars produced through the smithing process, it was found that quality improvements made by reducing physical defects such as inclusions or gas holes were more important than the composition of the iron itself. The study also yielded comparative study data for various byproducts, such as smithing slag, which could be utilized in other ironmaking technology studies.

• Journal of Conservation Science
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.581-593
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• 2018

Studies on ancient iron production technologies still have challenges to overcome, although there have been many results that have enabled us to understand these old technologies. The purpose of this study is to propose a suitable temperature condition for smelting experiments. The target for reconstruction is a smelting-smithing process in the ancient Jungwon area, and the experiment was designed on the basis of published research, such as archaeological evidence. Experiment A was performed at a low temperature to produce low-carbon iron, while Experiment B was conducted at a relatively high temperature to synthesize high-carbon iron. In addition, the low-carbon iron proved to be suitable for the smithing process. Moreover, aspects such as the microstructure and chemical composition of the slag and the surface condition of the furnace wall showed that the low-temperature smelting process was closer to the ancient method. It is important to mention the premise that the reconstruction of ancient technology can be achieved when the results of an experiment replicate the conditions of a real site. The results show that direct smelting, which produces low-carbon iron bloom under a low-temperature condition, should be the subject of smelting experiments concerning the iron production technologies of the ancient Jungwon area.