El horno protohistórico de reducción directa de la pastora (Aliseda, Cáceres)

Abstract

This paper focuses on the study of the remains of a Protohistoric furnace used for iron smelting that has been recently excavated at La Pastora mine (Aliseda, Cáceres). This site is particularly important also because it yielded the first fragments of tap slag known so far in Iberia. Thanks to the information extrapolated from its context, we examine the typology of the furnace and the mining-metallurgical process carried out there, with special emphasis on the characterisation of the ore, fuel, the final product, the slag and the scale of production. Finally, we contextualize the case of La Pastora in the framework of studies of bloomery furnaces in the Iberian Peninsula.