National Museum of Iran explores Chinese iron casting legacy

TEHRAN – The specialized seminar titled “Iron Smelting and Casting in Ancient China” was held on Saturday at the National Museum of Iran.

The lecture was delivered by Linheng Mo from the Hunan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, China.

The presentation was divided into two parts. The first part focused on metalworking methods, introducing various iron smelting furnaces discovered in archaeological excavations in China. The second part presented the achievements of the Guantian site excavation in Sangzhi County, Hunan Province, which primarily involved iron metallurgy.

The Guantian excavation revealed diverse iron processing furnaces and a variety of iron artifacts, indicating advanced technology at the site.  Additionally, various iron alloys, including steel from periods contemporaneous with late Sassanian and early Islamic Iran (Han Dynasty China), were found.

At the conclusion of the seminar, Jebrael Nokandeh, the director of the National Museum of Iran, noted that contemporary to the Bronze and Iron Ages in Iran, metalworking in China had made significant advancements, producing large and impressive bronze figures and objects. He further mentioned that given Mr. Mo and his colleagues’ research background in ancient Chinese metalworking sites, their recent studies with Iranian colleagues in the cultural landscape of Masouleh, Gilan, could provide new insights into Islamic and historic metalworking. He expressed hope that this team of archaeometallurgy specialists could initiate focused research in Masouleh.

Recently, Mr. Linheng Mo, Ms. Yuexuan Li, and Mr. Ali Aarab, all specialists in archaeometallurgy, in collaboration with the Masouleh Cultural Heritage Base, the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts of Gilan province, and the National Museum of Iran, visited several ancient metallurgical sites in the cultural landscape of Masouleh.

Most of these sites have been identified in recent years through archaeological surveys of the area led by Fereidoun Biglari, archaeologist and the deputy director of the National Museum.

AM