Milanówek/Falęcin – a settlement of iron-smelters from the Late Antiquity

Abstract

The settlement at Milanówek/Falęcin is a part of large centre of iron production of the Przeworsk Culture, dating from the Late Pre-Roman and Roman Periods, and located in the western Masovia (central Poland). The site was discovered in the 1960s during surface surveys, and its area is estimated to 9–12 hectares. Over time, various non destructive archaeological methods have been employed at the site (e.g. aerial photography, geomagnetic surveys, advanced surface prospection), and excavations were carried out over an area of ca 1500 m2. There have been found remains of nearly 1000 slag pit furnaces, 4 lime kilns, 1 ‘horseshoe-shaped’ kiln, 2 buildings and several pits. The excavation yielded also a large set of artefacts, of which some were subjected to expert analysis (e.g. chemical composition of slags, mineralogical composition of clay of relic of shafts). On the basis of geomagnetic surveys and excavations it is presumed that the settlement at Milanówek Falęcin may contain remains of about fifteen thousand slag-pit furnaces.