Kırklareli, Demirköy Ottoman ironworks: a technological investigation

Abstract

This study was part of a multidisciplinary industrial archaeology project. The objective of the project was to investigate social, economic and technical aspects of Ottoman iron production technologies during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. To reach this goal regional surveys, archaeological excavations and archive studies were carried out at Demirköy (ancient Samakovcuk), Kırklareli, the only remaining iron production and foundry left in Turkey from the Late Ottoman Period. Both the regional surveys and archaeological excavations yielded extensive remains from the Ottoman ironworks including mining activities, smelting furnaces and slags. Preliminary analysis indicates that local hematite and magnetite sand were used as the main iron ore source. High furnaces (Stückofen) and bloomery furnaces were discovered during the regional surveys and archaeological excavations. This indicates that both cast iron and wrought iron were produced in appropriate furnaces in Demirköy. Cast iron was mainly used to produce ordinance for the Ottoman artillery. Wrought iron was consumed mainly for domestic needs in the form of nails, horseshoes, farm tools and other implements. Slag samples collected from the peripheral small workshops were mainly fayalitic in nature left from the bloomery furnaces. Glassy slag was collected mainly around the main foundry where the actual casting of iron objects was carried out. Nails were the most abundant metallic objects recovered at archaeological excavations together with few other highly corroded cast and wrought iron implements. Cast iron objects displayed a typical gray cast iron microstructure whereas wrought iron objects can be classified as mild steel. There was no conclusive evidence for the production of wrought iron by a finery process.