Thesis supervisor: Béla Török
Location of studies (in Hungarian): ME, Metallurgia Intézet Abbreviation of location of studies: AVK
Description of the research topic:
The metal technology slags found in excavations, accumulated in museums and archaeological repositories represent a significant segment of the industrial heritage. The research of this kind of assemblage is developing at an increasing rate at the international level, but there is also an increasing demand in the field of archaeology and materials science in Hungary. The interdisciplinary PhD research focuses on the complex material analysis of slags as archaeological finds from different historical periods (from prehistory to the beginning of the industrial revolution), produced in cases of different metals (iron, copper, tin, lead) in different technological phases (smelting, slagging compaction, forging, etc.). The main goal is to characterise the types of slags at different levels of categorization (is it related to metal technology?, which metal?, which technological phase?, what about the metallurgical role within the technological phase?) based on the chemical, mineralogical, and microstructural analyses. The topic will also include the reproduction study of the formation of the defined slag types and the updating and development of a specific analysis protocol.