Here is part of the introduction:
Quote: |
Lars-Erik Englund lars-erik.englund@swipnet.se
Before the experimental furnaces were built in 1989 the project "Early Iron Making in Kind" had been ongoing for many years. It started in 1982 when the local History Association in the parish of Tranemo, in south-west Sweden, began mapping charcoal pits and slagheaps. This work was intensified during 1984 and 1985 when the state organised survey of ancient monuments came to this region. This survey, organized and carried out by The Central Board of National Antiquities, included all kinds of ancient monuments, but particular attention was given to the bloomery sites. In all we have documented 87 bloomeries in Tranemo and about 190 in all of the jurisdictional district of Kind. This figure can be compared with approximately 7000 bloomeries, and 850 blast furnaces, in the whole of Sweden. A new method of surveying charcoal pits and slag heaps was invented. Tools were developed to locate these very difficult, hardly visible structures in or on the ground. With a soil-probe, metal-needle, knife, gardening spade and a magnet it was possible to find many slagheaps and sometimes even roasting places, anvil stones, anvil slag and smithing pits in the woods. Questions about technic and site organisation was raised and in 1987 the first excavation started. Until autumn 1993 the local History Association in cooperation with Lars-Erik Englund carried out three excavations, two in the village of Arnås in Tranemo and one in the village of Örsås in Örsås parish, 30 kilometres west of Arnås. In all three cases we found a pair of furnaces, a technic and organisation which seems to dominate in the region. During the period AD 800-1350 there are, as far as we know, no other technique used. Before this period there are rare examples of a different kind of furnace, with diffrent slag, e.g. no tap slag, and no spatial connection with the charcoal pits. At about AD 1350 it seems that bloomery iron making disappeared but iron smithing did not. Scythe smithing is rather famous in this bloomery region up to the beginning of the 20th century. Twin furnaces are not spread all over Sweden. They are to be found only in the south-west parts, in the counties of Västergötland, Halland and Småland. Halland belonged to Denmark before the middle of the seventeenth century. Furnaces somewhat similar to the twin furnaces, dating back to Viking Age, have been reported from Norway but not from the Danish mainland. In parts of Europe twin furnaces have been reported from Bellaires and Boécourt in Switzerland and from the neighbourhood of Montpellier in southern France. These European twin furnaces are a few hundred years older than their Swedish counterparts. It is, however, interesting to note that the twin furnace technique was only used by the Vikings facing towards the western parts of Europe. This technique was not used by the Vikings in eastern Sweden. It seems that Viking Age iron making technology in eastern Sweden was, in many ways, traditional and had strong roots back into Roman times...... |
This is a site showing results from several years of "Hammarede" gatherings. However this is all in Swedish but it does have photos and diagrams.
Just found these sites interesting and thought some of you might find it also.