Beginning of development of iron ore deposits in Ob-Tomsk region

Article is devoted to a problem of emergence occurence of ferrous metallurgy in Ob-Tomsk region and beginning of development of iron ore sources. New archaeological sources allow to come nearer to the solution of this actual problem. It is important to note that in this region some fields of iron ore of high quality geologically are known. As for other raw sources for ancient ferrous metallurgy (clay, charcoal), these resources in Ob-Tomsk region always was in abundance. Thus, in the considered territory there were all preconditions for emergence of local ironworks production. However, furnaces of an era of the early Iron Age in the considered territory aren't met yet. Most likely, the local population during an era of early iron didn't develop an iron ore source of raw materials. Cases when settlements of the early Iron Age settled down near fields of iron ore deposit are known, however traces of production of iron it isn't revealed. In this time traditions of production of bronze remained leaders. Available archaeological data indicate rather late time of origin of local ironworks production during an era of the early Middle Ages. However only one furnace V-VIII century in Ob-Tomsk region is known therefore, most likely, at an early stage of development ferrous metallurgy had limited character. Though iron things during an era of the early Middle Ages are widely adopted. From now on iron forces out bronze from the main material spheres of medieval culture to Ob-Tomsk region. Probably, many of iron products had an import «Turkic» origin in the considered territory. The new stage of development of ferrous metallurgy is connected with arrival of the Turkic population at a turn of the I-II millennium. Turkic metallurgists perfectly owned production technologies of iron and widely mastered local deposits of iron ore. Metallurgy of iron had qualitatively new development in region. The review of available materials allows to make a number of important conclusions. First, emergence of ferrous metallurgy to Ob-Tomsk region should be connected with an era of the early Middle Ages and to define V-VIII century AD at the remark that this stage production of iron had very limited character, and development of local iron ore resources fully didn't happen yet. Secondly, broad development of ferrous metallurgy in the region is connected with arrival to these lands of the Turkic population at a boundary of I-II thousand, receiving iron perfectly owning technologies and widely mastered local iron ore deposits.

Keywords

Authors

References