Traces of metallurgy in the Kugitangtau and Boysuntau mountain ranges of southern Uzbekistan in the light of new slag finds from Lungi Tepa

This study presents a synthesis of published survey data together with fresh evidence for iron metallurgy from the site of Lungi Tepa in the Kugitangtau and Baysuntau mountain ranges and their piedmonts in southern Uzbekistan. To date, a total of 34 sites associated with mining and/or metal processing have been identified by various researchers in the region. The majority of these sites are associated with iron production and are broadly dated to the Medieval period. However, these interpretations are generally not supported by robust archaeological evidence, and the published descriptions of the phenomenon are characterised by inconsistencies in both terminology and interpretation. Recent excavations at Lungi Tepa yielded an assemblage of 24 iron smelting and smithing slags, together with an iron semi-product. Macroscopic examination, metallographic analysis, and portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) analysis indicate iron production using shaft furnaces equipped for slag tapping. The stratigraphic distribution of the slag assemblage, supported by radiocarbon dating, indicates that its deposition at the site can be securely dated to the 9th–10th centuries CE, implying local iron smelting activity in the vicinity of the settlement during the High Medieval period. A possible earlier onset of this activity in the Early Medieval period cannot be excluded, but this hypothesis requires further confirmation. The evidence from Lungi Tepa is critically compared with previously published research in order to assess which interpretations are supported by robust archaeological evidence. Overall, the study highlights the Kugitangtau and Baysuntau mountain ranges and their piedmonts as a Medieval metallurgical landscape characterised by iron production.