The kuznetsk tatars' bloomery complexes from site Sharton 1

The article introduces new archaeological materials about traditions of iron smelting, which were saved until the XIX century in the north-west of Sayan-Altai highland, known as the Mountain Shoria The locals who have been accepted into Russia in the XVII century were called “Kuznetsk Tatars” (that means Tatars-blacksmiths) thanks to their craft. We have a unique detailed description of the smelting by the Kuznetsk Tatars, which was based on observations in 1734. A sketch of the smelting scene was drawn at the same time by Lursenius (fig. 9). Data from Russian tax documents of the XVII century had been used for localize areas of the most intense metallurgical crafts. The map (fig. 1) shows sites with remains of iron smelting furnaces of the XVII - XVIII centuries. The sites were located in remote areas of the mountain forest. They were studied very rarely and in small areas. Whole XX century, any iron slag was identified as some trace of the smelting only. None have could diff the types of slag. It was not registered in detail and weighed. If slag was added into the collection, then because the researchers believed that it was bloom. But it was usually a plano-convex blacksmith slag. Now researchers have reasonable doubts of information about the possibility of smelting in furnaces of the type shown in the figure of Lursenius, as like as were expressed about the bowl furnaces from Ireland. But other types of furnaces in Mountain Shoria have not yet been discovered. We need to begin the formation of new archaeological sources to solve the problem. That the new materials are in the article. For our research, we have chosen a site Sarton 1. Probably, it was one of the metallurgical centre in the middle of the Mountain Shoria. Before the excavating, the magnetometric survey was carried out on the site Sharton 1. During the excavation of one of the abnormal places, there were found the ruins of several furnaces, accumulations of slag, fragments of tuyeres, and a stone anvil. Based on the excavation results, several furnaces were reconstructed. These are similar to the furnace that has been pictured by Lursenius, have the same dimensions and design. But the remains of open forges were also found here. One of types of slag was collected of the site Sharton 1 is a typical smithing slag. Chemical analysis of the plano-convex slag was carried out. You can see a noticeable uniformity of the chemical composition of the slag (Tabl. 1; 2). Perhaps the relative homogeneity of the chemical composition of the ores of the Mountain Shoria is due to it. Smelting conditions were similar too. But there is also other type of slag on the site Sharton 1. It is a real smelting slag and there is him more than of smithing slag. It is important to note that, as a rule, smelting slag was overlapped by smithing slag. It is hypothesized that traces of two consecutive operations - smelting and processing of blooms - have been recorded on the investigated site.

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