Bronze

The artifact studied in this paper is a bimetallic sword made of bronze handle and an iron blade, which was excavated from the Tol ancient cemetery, located in Talash city, Gilan province, in 2001 by Mohammad Reza Khaltabari. This research aims to study the technology and pathology of the mentioned object by conducting comparative and archeological studies using the library method, conducting technological studies using the laboratory methods of radiography, metallography, and microstructural observations using a scanning electron microscope (SEM-EDS). The phase analysis of corrosion products was done by X-ray diffraction (XRD), as well as knowing the manufacturing method and identifying the types of damage and corrosion. The result shows that this work belongs to the Iron Age. Also, the tests performed on the two parts of the handle and the blade showed that the material of the iron blade is iron-carbon alloy. The amount of carbon in different parts of the body of blade is not the same and the handle is made of bronze alloy with casting and hammering techniques. It also has a galvanic corrosion effect.

Naderi Tepe is located in the southeast of Mashhad and is located next to a communication route. According to the typology, the wares of this site include the variety of species and the quantity of pottery pieces from the Chalcolithic to the historical period. During the study of this site, based on the obtained wares, 10 pieces of the sherds and two pieces of stone quern were analyzed by petrography and their thin sections were examined in order to find the minerals in them. The purpose of this experiment was to identify the components of each sherd, the difference in composition and materials between samples, determine the percentage of each composition, determine the temperature of pottery firing according to the available minerals, and investigate the origin of the raw materials that make up wares. In the laboratory, a thin section was prepared from the pottery and then studied with an optical microscope. The results of the studies show that the mineralogy of the sherds from the site shows the better quality and purer paste of the sherds produced from the middle Bronze Age to the end of this period, which shows the high skill of the potter in making and knowing the raw materials in the production of pottery. The results of this research can be the basis for the comparison of ware types in terms of construction techniques and compounds used in them in the surrounding areas, especially in the Mashhad Plain.