Metallurgy is one of the oldest human activities and was one of the first sectors to embrace modern industrialisation. The production of metals and their alloys has strongly influenced the development of most societies throughout history, and played a key role in the construction of the modern world.
The 8th E-W Workshop on Industrial Archaeology brings together archaeologists and architects to delve into the long history of metal production, its multiple contexts (technological, economic, social…), and its heritage.
The East-West series of workshops aims to exchange ideas and knowledge among Western and Eastern colleagues to build a more international and diverse industrial archaeology. The activity is organised jointly by the Institute for Cultural Heritage and History of Science & Technology (USTB, China), and the UK Association for Industrial Archaeology.
PLACE:
Zoom (online meeting).
Register for FREE to get the Zoom link to the event here:
DATE & TIME:
10 May 2025, Saturday.
10.00-12.00 London time
SPEAKERS & TALKS:
- Chenyuan LI (University of Science and Technology Beijing, China): "The Evolution of Mining and Metallurgical Production Technologies in the Northern Frontier Regions of China during the Qin and Han Dynasties: A Perspective from Archaeometallurgy"
The evolution of metallurgical technologies in the northern frontiers during the Qin and Han periods reflects the innovation of production techniques under China's unified system. The Western Han's state monopoly on salt and iron led to the standardization of smelting technologies, with oval-shaped blast furnaces continuously producing tons of pig iron for large-scale casting. Mature processes like decarburization and stir-frying steel supported military defence and garrison development on the frontiers. Meanwhile, sophisticated bronze production technologies spread through cross-regional interactions, influencing areas from the Korean Peninsula and Japan to Xinjiang and the Altai region. This network not only consolidated the Han Empire's military and economic foundations but also promoted cultural integration between the Central Plains and the Eurasian Steppe through standardized iron smelting and bronze trade, laying the groundwork for early global technological dissemination. Multidisciplinary research, including analyses of metal artefacts from sites like Hohhot and Yingchengzi, reveals that Han craftsmen's technological optimizations significantly improved smelting efficiency and quality. Our research also highlights the complementarity of production technologies under agricultural and pastoral economic modes, offering a more nuanced understanding beyond simple notions of "advancement".
- Rhys MORGAN (Black Mountains Archaeology, Britain): "Rediscovering Copperopolis: The Hafod Plate Rolling Mill, Swansea"
The Hafod-Morfa Copperworks, located in Swansea, South Wales, UK was one of the largest copper producing sites in the world throughout much of the 19th and 20th centuries. The copperworks was also situated at the heart of ‘Copperopolis’; a significant industrial landscape with over three centuries copperworking history that spanned much of the Lower Swansea Valley. In the Winter of 2021, Black Mountains Archaeology Ltd conducted an archaeological excavation at the former site of the Hafod Rolling Mill. At the site, copper was rolled into sheets and plates in preparation for both national and international shipment. The site formed an important element of the wider Hafod-Morfa Copperworks and was in operation between approximately 1910–1980. Within this talk, the results of the archaeological excavation will be detailed, which offer a rare glimpse into the life and evolution of a 20th century copper rolling mill.
- María Isabel PAYER IBÁÑEZ (Payer Arquitectura / University of Seville, Spain): "Metallurgy as Industrial and Urban Development in Peñarroya-Pueblonuevo, Spain"
The mineral wealth of the Guadiato Valley has marked the evolution of the peoples of the high mountainous region of northern Cordoba in southern Spain from the earliest times. As made evident by archaeological findings, the economic development of this area was linked to the mining of argentiferous galena since the Late Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods. The metalliferous seams of the Guadiato Valley, which were exploited in different stages of ancient history, reached their peak with modern industrialisation when coal was also found in the region. The exploitation of both metallic ores and fuels led to the arrival of French investors. They first built a lead smelter in the late 19th century, which quickly evolved into an extensive industrial area including other subsidiary factories. The formation of this industrial complex in an empty territory gave rise to important urban and social developments and the creation of a new city with distinct characteristics. This presentation offers an audiovisual immersion into the industrial heritage of Peñarroya-Pueblonuevo. In doing so, it introduces the Virtual Tour project developed within the framework of the UNESCO Chair Built Urban Heritage in the Digital Era, CREhAR (Creative Research and Education on heritage Assessment and Regeneration).
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS:
Dr Chenyuan LI is a lecturer at the Institute of the History of Metallurgy and Materials at the University of Science and Technology Beijing. His research focuses on archaeometallurgy. Dr Li was born in Changchun, Jilin Province. He obtained his PhD in the History of Science and Technology from the University of Science and Technology Beijing (2013–2019), his MSc in Materials Processing Technology from the Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden (2010–2012), and his BSc in Physics from Jilin University (2005–2009). Dr Li's research primarily centres on the identification and conservation of ancient Chinese non-ferrous metals and iron and steel mining and metallurgical relics and artefacts. He is particularly interested in the mining and metallurgical production and material circulation patterns in the northern frontier regions of China under different subsistence modes and social structures.
Dr Rhys MORGAN works as a project officer for Black Mountains Archaeology Ltd and is based in South Wales, UK. After completing his PhD at the University of Southampton in 2021, Rhys began working full-time in commercial archaeology. During this period, Rhys has studied and excavated many significant industrial sites across South Wales, including within the Blaenavon World Heritage Site. As a result, Rhys has gained a keen enthusiasm for industrial heritage more broadly. Previously, Rhys has published works in the themes of copperworking and industrial transport yet is also interested in ironworking and coalmining. In addition, Rhys is a fluent Welsh speaker and is currently learning Mandarin Chinese.
Ar. María Isabel PAYER IBÁÑEZ graduated in 2004 from the School of Architecture of the University of Seville, Spain, where she is currently researching for her PhD. She is the director of the Virtual Tour “Cerco Industrial” [industrial complex] of Peñarroya-Pueblonuevo, which is developed within the framework of the CREhAR UNESCO Chair. She redacted the technical documentation for the declaration of this industrial heritage site as an Asset of Cultural Interest (BIC – the maximum level of protection in Spain), and has led various related projects, among them: the Historic Mining Centre, the Rehabilitation of the Nordon Building, the Rehabilitation of the Peñarroya-Pueblonuevo Station, the Enhancement and Consolidation of the South Enclosure of the Industrial Complex, the Rehabilitation of the Structure and Roof of the Central Warehouse, and the Restoration of the Chimney of the Paper Mill. Besides her professional experience in the field of industrial heritage protection and rehabilitation, Payer has published several research papers on industrial heritage and is the co-author of the book El Cerco Industrial de Peñarroya-Pueblonuevo, Córdoba. Piedra a Piedra [The Industrial Complex of Peñarroya-Pueblonuevo. Stone by Stone] (2005).
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