Prehistoric iron smelting in London: evidence from Shooters Hill
##plugins.themes.bootstrap3.article.main##
##plugins.themes.bootstrap3.article.sidebar##
Published
Nov 9, 2021
Abstract
An archaeological excavation at Shooters Hill in south-east London revealed a ditch which contained a substantial quantity of iron smelting slag. The only dating evidence from the fill of the ditch is provided by Early Iron Age pottery. Shooters Hill is one of the earliest known iron production sites in Britain and suggests that this region (the lower Thames valley) may have played a significant role in the introduction of iron manufacture.
##plugins.themes.bootstrap3.article.details##
Keywords
References
Crew P 1986, ‘Bryn y Castell – a late prehistoric iron working settlement in north-west Wales’, in B G Scott and H Cleere (eds), The crafts of the blacksmith (Belfast), 91-100.
Dungworth D forthcoming, ‘Who’s afraid of the Bowl Furnace?’, in J Bayley, P Belford and D Crossley (eds), Iron and ironworking: papers from the Bradford archaeometallurgy conference (London: HMS Occasional Publication).
Halkon P and Millett M 1999, Rural settlement and industry: studies in the Iron Age and Roman archaeology of lowland East Yorkshire (Leeds).
Jackson D A and Ambrose T M 1978, ‘Excavations at Wakerley, Northants, 1972–75’, Britannia 9, 115-242.
Kaczorek D and Sommer M 2003 ‘Micromorphology, chemistry and mineralogy of bog iron ores from Poland’, Catena 54, 393-402.
Kaczorek D, Sommer M, Andruschkewitsch I, Oktaba L, Czerwinski Z and Stahr K 2004, ‘A comparative micromorphological and chemical study of “Raseneisenstein” (bog iron ore) and
“Ortstein”’, Geoderma 121, 83–94.
Landuydt C J 1990, ‘Micromorphology of iron minerals from bog ores of the Belgian Campine area’, in L A Douglas (ed), Soil micromorphology. A basic and applied science (Amsterdam), 289-294.
Leivers M, Every R and Mepham L 2010, ‘Prehistoric pottery’, in J Lewis, M Leivers, L Brown, A Smith, K Cramp, L Mepham and C Phillpotts, Landscape evolution in the Middle Thames Valley: Heathrow Terminal 5 excavations, Vol 2 (Oxford/Salisbury).
Longley D 1991, ‘The Late Bronze Age pottery’, in S P Needham, Excavation and salvage at Runnymede Bridge, 1978: the Late Bronze Age waterfront site (London), 162-212.
McDonnell J G 1986, The classification of early ironworking slags. Unpublished PhD thesis (University of Aston, Birmingham).
Mortimer C and Starley D 1995, ‘Ferrous and non-ferrous metalworking’, in J Coles and S Minnitt, ‘Industrious and fairly civilised’ the Glastonbury Lake Village [Taunton], 138-141.
Nowakowski J and Quinnell H 2011, Trevelgue Head, Cornwall: the importance of C K Croft Andrew’s 1939 excavations for prehistoric and Roman Cornwall (Truro).
Paynter S 2006, ‘Regional variations in bloomery smelting slag of the Iron Age and Romano-British periods’, Archaeometry 48, 271-292.
Paynter S 2007, ‘Innovations in bloomery smelting in Iron Age and Romano-British England’, in S La Niece, D Hook and P Craddock (eds), Metals and mines. Studies in archaeometallurgy (London), 202-210.
Pleiner R 2000, Iron in Archaeology: The European Bloomery Smelters (Prague).
Potter J F 1977, ‘Eocene, lower Bracklesham Beds, iron workings in Surrey’, Proceedings of the Geologists’ Association 88, 229-241.
Stoops G 1983, ‘SEM and light microscopic observations of minerals in bog ores of the Belgian Campine’, Geoderma 30, 179-186.
Tylecote R F 1962, Metallurgy in archaeology: A prehistory of metallurgy in the British Isles (London).
Vander Voort G F 1999, Metallography: principles and practice (Materials Park, OH).
Wessex Archaeology 2008, Shooters Hill Greenwich, London. Archaeological evaluation and assessment of results (Salisbury).
Young T 1993, ‘Sedimentary iron ores’, in R A D Pattrick and D A Polya (eds), Mineralization in the British Isles (London), 446-489.
Dungworth D forthcoming, ‘Who’s afraid of the Bowl Furnace?’, in J Bayley, P Belford and D Crossley (eds), Iron and ironworking: papers from the Bradford archaeometallurgy conference (London: HMS Occasional Publication).
Halkon P and Millett M 1999, Rural settlement and industry: studies in the Iron Age and Roman archaeology of lowland East Yorkshire (Leeds).
Jackson D A and Ambrose T M 1978, ‘Excavations at Wakerley, Northants, 1972–75’, Britannia 9, 115-242.
Kaczorek D and Sommer M 2003 ‘Micromorphology, chemistry and mineralogy of bog iron ores from Poland’, Catena 54, 393-402.
Kaczorek D, Sommer M, Andruschkewitsch I, Oktaba L, Czerwinski Z and Stahr K 2004, ‘A comparative micromorphological and chemical study of “Raseneisenstein” (bog iron ore) and
“Ortstein”’, Geoderma 121, 83–94.
Landuydt C J 1990, ‘Micromorphology of iron minerals from bog ores of the Belgian Campine area’, in L A Douglas (ed), Soil micromorphology. A basic and applied science (Amsterdam), 289-294.
Leivers M, Every R and Mepham L 2010, ‘Prehistoric pottery’, in J Lewis, M Leivers, L Brown, A Smith, K Cramp, L Mepham and C Phillpotts, Landscape evolution in the Middle Thames Valley: Heathrow Terminal 5 excavations, Vol 2 (Oxford/Salisbury).
Longley D 1991, ‘The Late Bronze Age pottery’, in S P Needham, Excavation and salvage at Runnymede Bridge, 1978: the Late Bronze Age waterfront site (London), 162-212.
McDonnell J G 1986, The classification of early ironworking slags. Unpublished PhD thesis (University of Aston, Birmingham).
Mortimer C and Starley D 1995, ‘Ferrous and non-ferrous metalworking’, in J Coles and S Minnitt, ‘Industrious and fairly civilised’ the Glastonbury Lake Village [Taunton], 138-141.
Nowakowski J and Quinnell H 2011, Trevelgue Head, Cornwall: the importance of C K Croft Andrew’s 1939 excavations for prehistoric and Roman Cornwall (Truro).
Paynter S 2006, ‘Regional variations in bloomery smelting slag of the Iron Age and Romano-British periods’, Archaeometry 48, 271-292.
Paynter S 2007, ‘Innovations in bloomery smelting in Iron Age and Romano-British England’, in S La Niece, D Hook and P Craddock (eds), Metals and mines. Studies in archaeometallurgy (London), 202-210.
Pleiner R 2000, Iron in Archaeology: The European Bloomery Smelters (Prague).
Potter J F 1977, ‘Eocene, lower Bracklesham Beds, iron workings in Surrey’, Proceedings of the Geologists’ Association 88, 229-241.
Stoops G 1983, ‘SEM and light microscopic observations of minerals in bog ores of the Belgian Campine’, Geoderma 30, 179-186.
Tylecote R F 1962, Metallurgy in archaeology: A prehistory of metallurgy in the British Isles (London).
Vander Voort G F 1999, Metallography: principles and practice (Materials Park, OH).
Wessex Archaeology 2008, Shooters Hill Greenwich, London. Archaeological evaluation and assessment of results (Salisbury).
Young T 1993, ‘Sedimentary iron ores’, in R A D Pattrick and D A Polya (eds), Mineralization in the British Isles (London), 446-489.
How to Cite
Dungworth, D., & Mepham, L. . (2021). Prehistoric iron smelting in London: evidence from Shooters Hill. Historical Metallurgy, 46(1), 1-8. https://hmsjournal.org/index.php/home/article/view/121
Issue
Section
Articles
How to Cite
Dungworth, D., & Mepham, L. . (2021). Prehistoric iron smelting in London: evidence from Shooters Hill. Historical Metallurgy, 46(1), 1-8. https://hmsjournal.org/index.php/home/article/view/121