Dissertation committee:
Ιωάννης Παπαδάτος, Καθηγητής Προϊστορικής Αρχαιολογίας, Ε.Κ.Π.Α.
Βασιλική Αργυροπούλου, Καθηγήτρια Συντήρησης Μεταλλικών Αντικειμένων, Π.Α.Δ.Α.
Ελένη Φιλιππάκη, Ερευνήτρια Ε.Κ.Ε.Φ.Ε. «Δημόκριτος»
Παναγιώτης Βουδούρης, Καθηγητής Ορυκτολογίας και Πετρολογίας, Ε.Κ.Π.Α.
Ευρυδίκη Κεφαλίδου, Αναπληρώτρια Καθηγήτρια Κλασικής Αρχαιολογίας, Ε.Κ.Π.Α.
Λυδία Παλαιοκρασσά-Κόπιτσα, Ομότιμη Καθηγήτρια Κλασικής Αρχαιολογίας, Ε.Κ.Π.Α.
Ιωάννης Μπασιάκος, Ομότιμος Ερευνητής, Ε.Κ.Ε.Φ.Ε. «Δημόκριτος»
Translated title:
Archaeometallurgical study of iron objects from the excavation of the Cave of Zeus in Parnitha, Attica, dated to the beginning of the first pre-Christian millennium.
Summary:
The thesis deals with the technological study and scientific analysis of iron objects of the early pre-Christian millennium, based on the artefacts from the Sanctuary of Zeus Parnessios. It consists of two volumes, of which Volume A contains the main text of the thesis with the synthesis and interpretation of the data, and Volume B the data sheets with the descriptions and analyses of the objects.
The first volume consists of three general parts, the Theoretical Part (Part A), the Analyses (Part B) and the Synthesis of the data (Part C).
The Theoretical Part (Part A) consists of four chapters. Chapter 1 provides a critical review of the history of iron metallurgy research with emphasis on Greece and the Eastern Mediterranean during the early first pre-Christian millennium. Chapter 2 gives a brief presentation of the excavation, the sanctuary, and its chronology. Chapter 3 presents the categories of artefacts analysed, namely knives, obeloi, and swords. Their typology and use are discussed, based on archaeological studies that have been done and in parallel from other excavations. In Chapter 4, the whole operational chain is examined in detail, from smelting to secondary smithing (forging), as well as thermal treatments such as carburisation, quenching and annealing. In addition, an attempt is made to reconstruct the metallurgy of iron in antiquity based on existing archaeological data, literary texts, and iconography.
Part B, which consists of six chapters, presents the results of each analytical method used, namely (a) X-ray radiography, (b) X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (p-XRF), (c) scanning electron microscopy coupled with an energy dispersive spectrometer (SEM-EDS), (d) optical microscopy for metallographic examination, and (e) micro-hardness testing (HV). All the methods are first described in Chapter 5.
Chapters 6-10, contain the results of each of the above analytical methods. In each of these chapters, the basic principles of each method, the types of apparatus, the specific parameters applied, as well as the results from their application, are given and thoroughly discussed.
The last part of the thesis (Part C) presents, in one chapter (Chapter 11), the synthesis of the data and the results of the analyses of the material, which constitutes an original contribution to the study of iron metallurgy in the early historical periods. In summary, this study sheds light on a largely unknown aspect of the Early Iron Age, offering new insights into issues such as the deliberate production of steel and the smelting of iron from laterites.
Keywords:
Sanctuary of Zeus Parnessios, Knives; Obeloi; Swords, Iron; Steel, Laterites, Technology, Archaeometallurgy.
