Hello Roger,
Was there any known smeltering activity in the area in the past? Maybe this was used as a dump gound.
Bart
-------------- Original message ----------------------
From: Roger Gelder <[log in to unmask]>
> Undertaking a fieldwalking exercise of a 47 acre wheat field and have
> encountered several items of slag.
>
> This particular section of field, however, would have been flood-plain
> through-out the first millenium and poorly drained for most of the next
> few centuries, which would seem to preclude any smelting work?
>
> I note that from the 1920s/30s slag is refered to as 'ground' but this
> material
> is 'chunky' - sections ranging from 3 to 10 cm, some plough-worn (rounded)
> some plough-fractured (angular). Colour is mostly black - some grey - and
> one larger piece almost white with streaks of iron embedded in the matrix.
> Most appears highly glazed although a few pieces were almost fibrous.
>
> So, what would the first/original basic slag, used as fertilizer, have
> looked
> like, please? Thanks for help,
> Roger Gelder
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