Steel Chisel Used in Europe 2900 Years Ago, Research Finds

It was previously assumed that steel production did not become widespread in Europe until the Roman Empire, and that it was not possible to produce high-quality steel in the Early Iron Age or Final Bronze Age. However, the recent study led by Dr. Ralph Araque Gonzalez and his team at the University of Freiburg has challenged this assumption and provided evidence that steel tools were already in use in Europe around 2900 years ago. Using geochemical analyses, the researchers were able to prove that stone stelae on the Iberian Peninsula that date back to the Final Bronze Age feature complex engravings that could only have been done using tempered steel. This was backed up by metallographic analyses of an iron chisel from the same period and region (Rocha do Vigio, Portugal, ca. 900 BCE) that showed the necessary carbon content to be proper steel. The result was also confirmed experimentally by undertaking trials with chisels made of various materials: only the chisel made of tempered steel was suitably capable of engraving the stone. The archaeological record of Late Bronze Age Iberia is fragmentary in many parts of the Iberian Peninsula, with sparse remains of settlement and few detectable burials. However, there are traces of metal hoarding and mining activities. In this context, the western Iberian stelae with their depictions of anthropomorphic figures, animals, and selected objects are of unique importance for investigating this era. The stelae provide a glimpse into the material culture and artistic traditions of the people who lived during this time.Analysis of an iron chisel found in Rocha do Vigio showed that Iberian stonemasons from the Final Bronze Age had the necessary tools. The researchers discovered that it consisted of heterogeneous yet astonishingly carbon-rich steel. To confirm their findings, the researchers also carried out an experiment involving a professional stonemason, a blacksmith and a bronze caster, and attempted to work the rock that the pillars were made of using chisels of different materials. The stonemason could not work the stone with either the stone or the bronze chisels, or even using an iron chisel with an untempered point.The study by an international and interdisciplinary team headed by Freiburg archaeologist Dr. Ralph Araque Gonzalez from the Faculty of Humanities has proven that steel tools were already in use in Europe around 2900 years ago. The study “Stone-Working & the Earliest Steel in Iberia: Scientific Analyses & Experimental Replications of Final Bronze Age Stelae & Tools” has been published in the Journal of Archaeological Science. The study was funded by the German Research Foundation

Steel Chisel Used in Europe 2900 Years Ago, Research Finds

Related Stories