Začetki zgodnjeslovanske poselitve Prekmurja

The site of Nova tabla near Murska Sobota revealed the remains of an early medieval settlement. These remains included the sunken features SZ 6 and SO 149A, charcoal samples from which have yielded 14C dates that indicate the site was already inhabited in the first half of the 6th century. The associated pottery is comparable with the so-called Prague type pottery unearthed in Croatia, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Germany and Ukraine. In Slovakia and Germany, sunken features and graves with such pottery have also been dated with the help of 14C analyses, while the sites in Ukraine are dated on the basis of typochronological analyses of the metal artefacts and finds of Byzantine coins. Such early settlement of the western fringes of the Pannonian Plain on the part of Prague culture groups, most likely corresponding to the Early Slavs, is supported by the spatial distribution of the Late Antique and Langobard settlements in the 6th century, by the results of linguistic analyses and by the first written records mentioning the presence of Slavs in Pannonia.Na najdišču Nova tabla pri Murski Soboti sta bili iz vzorcev oglja v jamah, poimenovanih SZ 6 in SO 149A, pridobljeni 14C-dataciji, ki nakazujeta, da je bilo najdišče poseljeno že v prvi polovici 6. stoletja. Lončenina iz polnil omenjenih jam je primerljiva s t. i. lončenino praškega tipa s hrvaških, slovaških, čeških, poljskih, nemških in ukrajinskih najdišč. Na Slovaškem in v Nemčiji so jame in grobovi s primerljivo lončenino datirani tudi s pomočjo 14C-datacij, na ukrajinskih najdiščih pa s tipokronologijo kovinskih predmetov in bizantinskimi novci. Zgodnja naselitev nosilcev praške kulture, najverjetneje zgodnjih Slovanov, na zahodne obronke Panonske nižine je utemeljena tudi s prostorsko razporejenostjo poznoantične in langobardske poselitve v 6. stoletju, z jezikovnimi analizami in s prvimi omembami Slovanov v Panoniji v pisnih virih

Characterization of bloom iron smelting site remains in Pržanj, Slovenia

This paper gives an overview of findings, connected with metallurgical activity, at the Pržanj archeological site near Ljubljana, Slovenia. More than 230 kg of slag and other remains connected with early medieval (from the 5th to the 12th century AD) metallurgical activities was found at the excavation site. The remains were grouped into four categories, i.e., furnace remains, ore, slag and a ferrous product, and analyzed in detail to obtain their chemical composition, microstructural characteristics, and mineral phase composition. The furnace wall remains, identified by their morphology and chemical composition, revealed an intensive iron processing activity at the site. The iron ore at the site was identified as goethite (FeO(OH)), a surprising find in Slovenia where limonite is typically used, and its presence suggests the potential exploitation of local bog iron ore, given the site’s geological context. Abundant slag remains at the site, identified by their shape, molten microstructure, and mineral components like wuestite, fayalite, and hercynite, indicated sophisticated smelting practices, including the use of CaO-rich materials to lower the melting temperature, a technique likely preserved from antiquity. Findings of ferrous products at ancient metallurgical sites are rare due to their value, but the discovery of a corroded iron bloom conglomerate at this site, initially mistaken for furnace remains, highlights the challenges in identifying small, corroded ferrous fragments that are often misidentified as ore. The results indicate extensive metallurgical activity at the excavation site, marking it as the first documented early medieval iron smelting production site in Slovenia