Metallographical study of the quality of copper manufactured at the casting installations of Cerro Muriano (Córdoba) during the High Imperial Roman Period

Abstract

The copper obtaining process depends on a great quantity of variables and presents complex controlling. The mentioned obtaining process was well known since the Roman Age. The knowledge of copper of the casting process was higher than expected, taking account of the studies with first melting copper samples localized at an archaeological deposit in Cerro Muriano (Córdoba, Spain) and dated at the 1st Century B.C. and 1st Century A.C. The existence of a cellular and dendritic-cellular solidification in the studied samples, together with other realized analysis, show a production of copper with high purity. Present work allows to conclude that the three basic processes on copper casting (roasting, smelting, slagging and conversion) were well known. This knowledge was due to the experience, although they did not know the chemical and physical phenomena.