The use and production technologies of iron of the Han Dynasty in eastern Sichuan Province, China

Abstract The Luojiaba site, located in eastern Sichuan Province, unearthed iron smelting‐related remains from the Eastern Han Period in 2022, including slag, tuyere fragments, refractory materials, and hammer scales. A comprehensive study of the excavated smelting remains indicates that the site engaged in bloomery iron smelting and forging activities during the Eastern Han Period. By comparing the site with other bloomery iron smelting sites of the Han Dynasty discovered in China, it is suggested that, influenced by social and economic factors, there may have been a tradition of bloomery iron smelting in the southwestern minority regions of China. Additionally, by reviewing the iron artifacts unearthed from the Warring States to the Han Dynasty at the Luojiaba site, the origins and development of the use of iron at Luojiaba are explored.