Mohammad Mortazavi - Faculty of Conservation, Art University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran
Ahmad Salehi Kakhki - Department of Materials Engineering, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan, Iran
Mohammad Ali Golozar - Department of Materials Engineering, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan, Iran
Hassan Tala’i - Department of Archaeology, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

Tepe Sagzabad, a site situated on the Qazvin Plain of north-central Iran, was excavated from ۱۹۷۰ to ۱۹۹۸ by the Institute ofArchaeology of Tehran University. Recent excavations by H. Tala’i (۱۹۹۷-۱۹۹۹) yielded some metal artifacts dating to theEarly Iron Age. Ten of these copper-based samples were investigated using inductively coupled plasma optical emissionspectroscopy (ICP-OES), scanning electron microscopy combined with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEMEDX)and optical microscopy (OM). The results of these analyses showed that the metal objects at Tepe Sagzabad aremade of different copper alloys, including: pure copper, copper-arsenic and copper-tin. In addition, multiple procedures,including hot-working, cold-working, and annealing were used as manufacturing techniques. The copper-based objectsfrom Tepe Sagzabad provide evidence for the continued use of pure copper and arsenical copper alongside tin bronzes onthe Iranian Plateau during the Early Iron Age.

Sagzabad, Qazvin Plain, Iranian Plateau, Archaeometallurgy, Copper alloys, Iron Age