Gerry McDonnell
Archaeometallurgy
Iceland
Hofstaðir
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Excavation of a Viking Age settlement produced evidence of iron smelting and smithing (For details go to Icelandic Institute of Archaeology and the site archive. The site exemplifies the challenge of distinguishing some slag types from lava (see analysis tables) . Analyses of the slags indicated very efficient iron smelting using tapping furnaces, producing phosphorus free iron.
Map and Photo Courtesy of the Institute of Archaeology, Reykjavik