At 14:42 15/03/04 -0500, James Brothers wrote:
>While it is true that today one would call slag an industrial waste,
>this is not really true historically.
James,
Even today I would be careful in referring to 'slag' as waste. The value of
smelting residues will change with advances in technique - certainly the
case in the past with residues from non-ferrous smelting activity where
they might be returned to the furnace once or twice for their metal
content. Even bloomery slag had an economic value as flux in later iron
smelting processes.
Peter
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Dr Peter Claughton,
Blaenpant Morfil, nr. Rosebush, Clynderwen, Pembrokeshire, Wales SA66 7RE.
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University of Exeter - School of Historical, Political and Sociological
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(Centre for South Western Historical Studies)
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