ABSOLUTE DATING OF EARLY IRON OBJECTS FROM THE ANCIENT ORIENT: RADIOCARBON DATING OF LURISTAN IRON MASK SWORDS

Luristan Iron Mask Swords have been recovered mostly from illegal diggings in the 1920s. The about 90 known objects are characterized by a disk-shaped pommel on the top of the handle with two mounted bearded heads on two sides. According to the similarity in form and radiocarbon (C-14) measurements on two swords from museum collections, an overall short production period was assumed around 1000 BC (Moorey 1991; Rehder 1991). Here we present the results of metallurgical analysis and C-14 measurements for three newly acquired Luristan swords, which were donated to the Royal Museums of Art & History, Brussels. Metallurgical analysis indicates an iron production via the bloomary furnace technique. Analyzed samples show large slag inclusions (Fayalite, Wustite, glass) within a mostly ferritic and pearlitic iron. The carbon contents varied between 0.2 wt% to around 0.8 wt%). C-14 measurements on thermally extracted carbon give C-14 ages between 2800 BP-3360 BP (calibrated similar to 1745 BC-900 BC). The reliability of the C-14 measurements are discussed with respect to external (contamination during handling) and intrinsic contamination (e.g. fossil carbon sources during manufacture).