Archaeological Record of Iron Metallurgy Along the Drava River

Abstract

Years of research in the region of Hrvatska Podravina, a lowland area of the lower Drava River basin, resulted in the discovery of more than 150 sites with traces of iron metallurgy visible on the surface. Systematic archaeological excavations on four sites have indicated that iron was being actively produced in this area using local resources during Late Antiquity and the early Middle Ages, from the 4th/5th century to the 8th/9th. Structures and formations interpreted through the archaeological record indicate that different activities or phases of the chain of operations were carried out within organized units, workshops for the production and/or processing of bloomery iron.