Los carburos de hierro como testigos de los ritos de cremación entre los pueblos prerromanos de la Península Ibérica: algunos ejemplos

In the present work, typical microstructures appearing in the nucleus of archaeological steel which had suffered an incineration process were studied. Under study were different items (weapons, parts of clothing, etc.) burned together with dead bodies by pre-roman tribes inhabiting the Iberian Peninsula. The samples were analysed making use of optical and electron microscopy and and EDX spectrometry. The thermal and ageing processes were reproduced in the laboratory employing modern steel of similar composition. The results allowed to estimate the temperatures achieved during funerary rites as well as the cooling kinetics of the funeral pile. Further, it could be determined whether the pieces were burned together with the dead body or were later on deposited close to the urn. Finally, models of the thermodynamic processes which lead to the observed microstructures are proposed.