Geochemical study of medieval lead-silver slag - le Minier (Aveyron, France)
Abstract
In the context of the study of the medieval lead-silver mines of Le Minier (Aveyron, France), an archaeological survey has revealed a spread of slag dated by radiocarbon to the 14th century. 25 kilos of slag in secondary position were recovered. The slag typology presents various facies that can be summarized in two main: black glassy slags and grey porous slags. The use of a portable XRF on site allowed us to analyze 250 slags. The chemical composition of the slag shows that although the grey and black slags are visually very different, they constitute a continuous series and are therefore the result of the same metallurgical process.
