Brass is recognised to have a dominant role in Islamic metalworking, valued for its golden colour and versatility in cold working and ornamentation. However, the development and timing for this dominance – and its relationship with earlier Sasanian and Byzantine traditions – is yet to be fully explained. In addition, the continuity of bronze and other copper-base working in early Islamic metallurgy is evidence for the limits of brass adoption, whether reflecting the desire for different material properties or wider social, economic and political factors. In this paper, we present scientific analyses of 400 archaeological fragments from the important ninth-eleventh century CE Persian Gulf port city of Siraf. Through XRF compositional analyses, we elaborate on the nature and extent of brass use in the early Abbasid period, indicating the probable transition from prestige to practical application prior to this time. In addition, the dominance of low zinc alloys in a rich, well-connected settlement such as Siraf offers new perspectives on brass production and supply in this period, pointing to the intentional dilution of primary brass with copper. Further, through both compositional and metallographic investigation, we reveal a parallel use of high-tin beta bronze at the site – echoing both the appearance and performance of brass, but with important limitations that reveal nuances in alloy choice and perception.
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