Etude des déchets de réduction provenant de deux sites d'exploitation d'étain armoricain de l'Age du Bronze et du Moyen Age

Abstract

Numerous bronze artefacts may be found in Armorique. Their ages vary from Bronze Age to recent periods, and particularly of the Middle Age. The Massif Armoricain contains many tin deposits, on which exploitation indices of different ages have been noticed. Slags mixed with charcoal have been found on geological boreholes on two sites. The first site (St Renan, Finistère) is dated of the Middle Bronze Age whereas the second one (Limerzel, Morbihan) is dated of the Early Middle Age. A petrographical and geochemical study of parts of slags from these two sites has been realised. It shows that slags resuit from the reduction of cassiterite (SnO2) to tin métal. The used ore corne from alluvial deposits found in the vicinity. This first work confirms that armorican tin was extracted since Bronze Age and that ore were treated in the area of extraction. In Limerzel site, the presence of the a small metallic lead body which encapsulate cassiterite grains seems to indicate that this site might have also produced more elaborated alloys that simple tin ingots.

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