Abstract
A substantial indigenous tin-smelting industry arose in the Rooiberg valley of northern South Africa in the second millennium CE. This study concentrates upon tin-smelting slags and refractory ceramics from two archaeological sites that date between ca. 1650 CE and ca. 1850 CE. These were studied by optical and electron microscopy, wavelength-dispersive x-ray fluorescence (WD-XRF), inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), and electron microprobe (EMPA). The slags are predominantly glassy; high SnO and relatively low SiO2 contents indicate that tin is a major glass-forming element. Comparison of slag chemistries with the mineralogy of ore deposits and host rocks shows that alluvial cassiterite was used at one of the sites, while cassiterite from hard-rock mining was smelted at the other site. Since few preindustrial tin slags have been studied, we compare our findings to other published examples, mostly from southwest England.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1656-1669 |
| Number of pages | 14 |
| Journal | Journal of Archaeological Science |
| Volume | 37 |
| Issue number | 7 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jul 2010 |
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Keywords
- Metallurgy
- Rooiberg
- Slags
- Smelting
- South Africa
- Tin
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- History
- Archaeology
Cite this
The technology of tin smelting in the Rooiberg Valley, Limpopo Province, South Africa, ca. 1650-1850 CE. / Chirikure, Shadreck; Heimann, Robert B.; Killick, David J.
In: Journal of Archaeological Science, Vol. 37, No. 7, 07.2010, p. 1656-1669.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - The technology of tin smelting in the Rooiberg Valley, Limpopo Province, South Africa, ca. 1650-1850 CE
AU - Chirikure, Shadreck
AU - Heimann, Robert B.
AU - Killick, David J
PY - 2010/7
Y1 - 2010/7
N2 - A substantial indigenous tin-smelting industry arose in the Rooiberg valley of northern South Africa in the second millennium CE. This study concentrates upon tin-smelting slags and refractory ceramics from two archaeological sites that date between ca. 1650 CE and ca. 1850 CE. These were studied by optical and electron microscopy, wavelength-dispersive x-ray fluorescence (WD-XRF), inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), and electron microprobe (EMPA). The slags are predominantly glassy; high SnO and relatively low SiO2 contents indicate that tin is a major glass-forming element. Comparison of slag chemistries with the mineralogy of ore deposits and host rocks shows that alluvial cassiterite was used at one of the sites, while cassiterite from hard-rock mining was smelted at the other site. Since few preindustrial tin slags have been studied, we compare our findings to other published examples, mostly from southwest England.
AB - A substantial indigenous tin-smelting industry arose in the Rooiberg valley of northern South Africa in the second millennium CE. This study concentrates upon tin-smelting slags and refractory ceramics from two archaeological sites that date between ca. 1650 CE and ca. 1850 CE. These were studied by optical and electron microscopy, wavelength-dispersive x-ray fluorescence (WD-XRF), inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), and electron microprobe (EMPA). The slags are predominantly glassy; high SnO and relatively low SiO2 contents indicate that tin is a major glass-forming element. Comparison of slag chemistries with the mineralogy of ore deposits and host rocks shows that alluvial cassiterite was used at one of the sites, while cassiterite from hard-rock mining was smelted at the other site. Since few preindustrial tin slags have been studied, we compare our findings to other published examples, mostly from southwest England.
KW - Metallurgy
KW - Rooiberg
KW - Slags
KW - Smelting
KW - South Africa
KW - Tin
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=77952545319&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=77952545319&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jas.2010.01.026
DO - 10.1016/j.jas.2010.01.026
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:77952545319
VL - 37
SP - 1656
EP - 1669
JO - Journal of Archaeological Science
JF - Journal of Archaeological Science
SN - 0305-4403
IS - 7
ER -