Vol. 70 No. 3 (2018): Special Issue - Iron in Archaeology: Bloomery Smelters and Blacksmiths in Europe and Beyond
Research Article

The haizeola and the origins of the ‘Catalan method’: The medieval iron metallurgy culture in the Pyrenees

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  • Mercedes Urteaga,
  • Xabier Alberdi,
  • Iosu Etxezarraga,
  • Fernando Martín Suquía,
  • Mertxe Urkiola,
  • Jose Luis Ugarte
Mercedes Urteaga
Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa, Archives and Heritage Services, Culture Department. Urdaneta street 9, E-20006 Donostia-San Sebastián, Basque Country
Xabier Alberdi
Mining Museum in the Basque Country, Bº Campodiego, S/N, E-48500 Gallarta (Abanto-Zierbena) Bizkaia
Iosu Etxezarraga
Mining Museum in the Basque Country, Bº Campodiego, S/N,. E-48500 Gallarta (Abanto-Zierbena) Bizkaia
Fernando Martín Suquía
Burdinola Society, Bº Telleriarte Auz, S/N, E-20230 Legazpi (Gipuzkoa)
Mertxe Urkiola
Burdinola Society, Bº Telleriarte Auz, S/N, E-20230 Legazpi (Gipuzkoa)
Jose Luis Ugarte
Burdinola Society, Bº Telleriarte Auz, S/N, E-20230 Legazpi (Gipuzkoa)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.35686/AR.2018.22

Published 01-10-2018

How to Cite

Urteaga, M., Alberdi, X., Etxezarraga, I., Suquía, F., Urkiola, M., & Ugarte, J. (2018). The haizeola and the origins of the ‘Catalan method’: The medieval iron metallurgy culture in the Pyrenees. Archeologické Rozhledy, 70(3), 421–434. https://doi.org/10.35686/AR.2018.22
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Abstract

Recent research shows that furnaces characteristically used in the ‘Catalan method’, a direct system of obtaining iron, are much older than they were thought to be. Archaeological evidence obtained in recent years indicates that the same model of furnace, although with smaller dimensions, was part of the ironmaking culture of the pre-water-powered phase, when work was done by manpower. This phase has been dated to between the 9th and 14th centuries and relates to installations known as haizeolas. They have been recognized in the Basque territories of Biscay, Gipuzkoa and Alava, in a geographical area on the western edge of the Pyrenees.

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