Iron production in the ancient Loulan state of Lop Nor region, southern Xinjiang

Abstract The ancient Loulan state, located in the Lop Nor region of Xinjiang, was historically known for its iron production, as documented in Chinese historical texts. This paper studies iron artefacts from the ancient Loulan LA site, dating from the third to the fourth centuries CE, with a focus on their metallographic features and the chemical composition of slag inclusions. The analytical results reveal that iron objects from the site were made from cast iron, malleable cast iron and bloomery iron. Based on the observation, it is suggested that while cast iron was used, bloomery iron still played an important role in the region. The technological profile in the ancient Loulan state was different from inland China of the same period, which highlights regional characteristics. Based on the observation, we focus on environmental and cultural factors that could have been contributed to this situation.