It is Hiroshima that the handle of the bimetal sword (iron blade bronze handle sword), which was distributed in northern Iran about 3,000 years ago and is a combination of bronze and iron, uses the advanced technology of casting at that time. It was found by a survey of the university, the Center for High-Brightness Photon Science, and the Okayama Orient Museum.It was clarified by scrutinizing CT images taken using high-energy X-rays at RIKEN's large-scale synchrotron radiation (* 1) facility.
According to the High-Brightness Photon Science Research Center, the inside of the handle of a bimetal sword is not only a combination of two types of metals, bronze and iron, but also a technique called casting that creates a handle by pouring bronze into the basket of the iron sword. Was used.
The casting technology was put into practical use at the end of the Bronze Age, but it was also applied to iron products that had begun to spread.Casting with different metals seems to have been difficult, and traces of pouring melted bronze many times to make a long handle have been found.
The bimetal sword is a metal sword that is often seen during the iron transition period from northern Iran to the Caucasian region, which is considered to be an advanced area for iron utilization, and is said to reflect the shift in production technology from bronze ware to iron ware.
The research results will be introduced at the Cultural Properties Analysis Technology Workshop held at the Asahi Hall in Hamarikyu, Tokyo on March 3.
* 1 Synchrotron radiation A strong electromagnetic wave generated when electrons are accelerated to almost the same speed as light and the direction of travel is bent by an electromagnet.
