Iron has been with us since prehistoric times and the first objects made from meteoric iron can be dated back to 5,000 BC. The actual discovery of its production may have occurred by accident during the reduction of copper in Mesopotamia. It is possible that the first iron droplets processed by humans were already in the world sometime around 4,500 BC.
Around 1,000 BC, iron began to spread in the Mediterranean, and the Romans in particular made great advances in its processing. In the context of iron, industrial processing of iron is often dated to sometime in the 18th century. However, if we consider the archaeological finds, for example, in Aillant in France there are piles of iron slag from the Roman period, where the total weight is estimated at 300,000 tonnes, which I think defines industrial processing fully meets the definition of industrial manufacturing and it just goes to show the general decline of Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire.and how long it took to get back up to its level sometime in the modern period. In this context, I think it is not a bad idea to read something, certainly the 7 laws by Miroslav Barta can be recommended.
But unfortunately iron has the bad quality that it likes to react. A classic case is atmospheric oxygen, which causes oxidation - rusting. But iron also reacts with gusto to various acidic environments, where it can dissolve into a number of mixtures. All this causes iron objects that have access to air or are exposed to acidic environments to deteriorate easily and quickly. Purely empirically, if you are looking in an environment with alkaline soils, irons are often in wonderful condition (like our expedition in Bulgaria, where it was no problem to find working, 2,000 year old iron needles, etc.). In contrast, for example, when searching in spruce forests, heavily affected by exhalations from coal burning, where the iron was literally bathed in weak sulfuric acid, even large objects literally disintegrate before your eyes.
The iron thus needs to be treated after it is pulled out. For prehistoric objects, this should always be done by a specialist. It's not only a demanding job, it's also quite expensive. In addition, it is always a matter of time and you can't delay, because iron reacts quickly with the air after it has been pulled out of the ground without treatment and if you leave a nice object in a drawer for a few years, you will find it just a pile of rust. Due to the difficulty and also the cost of such treatment, you often find that things like horseshoes etc. are simply not preserved.
Thus, if you have an object that archaeologists are not interested in for the reasons given, plus the dates of discovery etc. are passed on, there is no reason why it should not be an ornament to your collection.
The most beautiful iron find on LP - History Hunters
We are doing the competition itself to make more searchers aware of both the importance and beauty of old iron. For that reason, we want to highlight here a few of the most interesting iron objects from each historical period as we divide them in History Hunters.
Write your suggestions for the contest directly in the chat. Each LP searcher can post 10 suggestions and from those we will select up to 20 items by vote to enter the contest to win a new Minelab X-TERRA PRO metal detector .
Submit your suggestions as you are used to, i.e. using the links in the discussion. Qualification ends on 31.7. 2024 at 23:59h. Twenty items with the highest number of votes will go to the final round and we will also try to describe them in the way you can see in the text from Hogo Fogo below. The contest covers all iron objects in artifacts from the Iron Age to the present.
The three items listed above were prepared by Dan (Hogo Fogo) as examples of interesting iron pieces on LP, including short descriptions that illustrate how interesting iron can be.
A special group of Late Hallstatt and Late Iron Age knives consists of massive long knives - cleavers.In the Late Hallstatt period, they supplanted and completely replaced the iron and bronze swords of the earlier Hallstatt period as a chopping weapon. They were stored in wooden sheaths and could also be attached to a small loop coming from the end of the handle. Daggers are overwhelmingly found in burial contexts, but there are exceptions in the form of finds on settlements. The main areas of distribution of Lathenic chisels in Europe are the Middle and Lower Franconia, Bohemia (to a greater extent in the western part) and the Upper Palatinate.
Its occurrence can also be observed around the Alpine rivers, the Danube, and from Upper Bavaria through Austria to the western part of Hungary, as well as Thuringia, central Hesse and Saxony. The question of the function of the long knife-cutter appears to be quite fundamental. In the past, a large number of scholars have dealt with this issue, but their interpretations and theories often differ to a large extent, and so there is still no clarity on this phenomenon today. G. Kossack ascribes to them the character of a sucking weapon, but points out that it is difficult to decide whether their primary function was combat or hunting. Later, Kossack is more inclined towards a hunting function, especially for butchering the flesh of slaughtered game. The same view is shared by U. Osterhaus, who also rejects the combat function and favours the hunting weapon and the possibility of butchering meat. A certain role of the cleaver as a universal tool is considered by L. Pauli and A. Haffner, where, in addition to butchering meat (often found near pottery vessels), it could have served for definitive killing after the initial confrontation of the enemy with the spear.
This was a tool of permanent necessity used in battle, but it also reflected the social status of its owner. The warrior nature of the Celts, known from ancient written sources, is confirmed, among other things, by the discovery of swords from Bohemia. Thus, in the better explored necropolises we observe considerable numbers of warrior burials with swords. The Celtic swords were iron, double-edged, 70-85 cm long, and in the younger phase of the Latin Age even over 90 cm.
Regarding the length of swords, it is generally true for grave finds that the taller the buried person was, the longer his sword was. Therefore, it can be assumed that swords were made to the individual wishes of the customer. Sword making was a separate specialty. It was probably based on sword ingots. The blade was usually welded from several parts and usually at least one blade was clouded. According to metallographic analyses, about a third of the swords were of very good quality. There have been found to be some very poor forgings made of 'soft' weldediron or poorly carburized steel without any trace of deliberate hardening, as well as excellent swords with perfect steel blades. The swordmaker's workshop probably also employed specialists in the production and decoration of metal sword sheaths. The sword scabbards are often gaudily decorated and bear symbolism that suggests the existence of 'fighting brotherhoods'.
Broadheads were never the dominant type of axe in the early medieval period, but occurred regularly throughout the period. These are not chronologically very sensitive artefacts. In Moravia, shirochines are part of some rich warrior graves, which are placed in the older Great Moravian horizon. L. Galuška, in his list of weapons used for fighting in the time of Mojmír, mentions not only long-barbed blades but also shirochines, while "...all of them were equipped with a 1 m long axe, so that in the hands of a skilled warrior they represented a weapon with which it was possible to stand against the sword...".
The broadswords were not only used as weapons, but above all as a versatile tool for working wood, cutting meat, etc. Nevertheless, the presence of a pronounced hammer on this particular piece may suggest a martial function for the axe.
Another interesting function of the broadhead as an execution tool is evidenced by Jarloch's chronicle, which, as of 1182, describes how the court of theBarbarossa's court, Conrad Ota and the Bohemian leaders who were involved in the deposition of Prince Bedrich and the installation of Conrad Ota: "....they are presented to the Emperor, whom he, wishing to frighten, ordered to bring a great number of brothers, as if he wanted to have them eliminated..."
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když sem se před deseti lety začal přihlašovat,tak se železné kousky v katalogu objevovaly jen velmi sporadicky a železářů bylo jak šafránu.Prostě si spousta lidí nedokázala pot tou orezlou hroudou předsavit tu krásu kterou skrývá.Je to také mnohem težší do této podoby spracovat,bronzová sekera v podstatě bude krásná už po opláchnutí,když i bez jakéhokoliv zásahu bude ležet v muzeu v bedně,nic se nezmění.Ale to železo né.To po vyjmutí ze země musí být spracováno co nejříve,jinak skončíte z hromádkou rzi za poměrně krátký čas.Potřebuje i správné uložení,konzervaci a některé nedostatky se objeví až po letech.V muzeích sem ve vitrínách viděl už jen hromádky rzi a rozpadající se artefakty.A ani těch želez nebylo nikdy mnoho.Když sem před mnoha lety mluvil z archáči a muzejníky,tak sami zjišťovali,že to zastoupení předmětů ze železa,je velmi slabé.A když,tak se týkalo jen zbraní.Ale výrobky dení potřeby,nástroje dení potřeby jim chyběly.Byly sice zdokumentovány při vykopávkách,ale nedochovaly se.Proto mě tahle kategorie soutěže a propagace velmi potěšila.A zabrání tomu,co tu člověk řte poměrně často.Našel jsem to na pařezu. 
