Analyses were carried out on samples from 20 archaeological bipyramidal iron ingots from the Speyer depot in the Upper Rhine region, Germany, dated to the Hallstatt D and La Tène A periods (800–450 BCE). Typologically, the ingots belong to type BLS4 of bi-pointed ingots, consistent with their distribution in the Rhine and Moselle valleys. In addition, 40 iron ore samples were analysed; these were collected from iron ore deposits, former iron ore mines, and smelting sites in southern Germany. The aim of the analyses was to determine the geographic location and the isotopic and geochemical characteristics of the iron ore resources exploited during the Iron Age for the production of bipyramidal ingots. We aimed to obtain the most comprehensive possible provenance signature for each ingot sample by combining Re–Os isotope and concentration measurements with trace-element analyses. The signature preserved in an archaeological iron object largely reflects the isotopic and chemical characteristics of the ore smelted to produce the iron that was subsequently forged into the ingot. For the iron ingots, analyses were performed on bulk metal (Re–Os isotope analyses and ICP-MS trace-element analyses of the metallic matrix) and on polished sections (slag-inclusion analyses by LA-ICP-MS). Iron ores were analysed in bulk for Re–Os isotopes and as pressed pellets by LA-ICP-MS to determine whole-rock geochemical compositions. A further aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Re–Os system for determining the provenance of archaeological iron. In addition, two AMS radiocarbon measurements were performed on metal from the ingots to determine their chronological timeframe of use. The iron ore dataset includes samples from southern Germany, specifically the Swabian Alb, the Danube valley in Bavarian Swabia, and the Black Forest massif. Many of these ore samples had previously been analysed only for Os isotopes within the CIPIA project (Dillmann et al., 2017, ESM 1). All analytical data were acquired at the laboratory of the Curt Engelhorn Centre for Archaeometry (Mannheim, Germany). The full description of the data and methods is provided in the data description file. The datasets are provided as six Microsoft Excel files.
This research was funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG project BR 4312/5-1, “Zum Verhalten der siderophilen Spurenelemente bei der Eisenherstellung”).
This data summarizes site information, sediment textural properties, and bulk geochemical parameters from the same sampling campaigns, including mean grain size, total organic carbon (TOC) content, and carbon isotopic compositions (δ¹³C and F¹⁴C) of both TOC and SPE-DOC in bottom water (BW) and porewater (PW) samples. These data establish the baseline for evaluating the sources, reactivity, and age of organic carbon in sediments and porewaters of the German Bight. Together with the molecular results in doi:10.1594/PANGAEA.989754, they constrain the coupling between sedimentary organic carbon pools and dissolved organic matter dynamics in this shallow-marine environment.
This dataset presents detailed information on the sampling sites, dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations, and molecular characteristics of solid-phase extracted DOC (SPE-DOC) from bottom water (BW) and porewater (PW) samples collected in the German Bight, North Sea, during RV Heincke cruises HE582 and HE595. The data include average elemental compositions (C, H, O, N, S, P) and relative abundances of major compound classes and structural groups derived from FT-ICR-MS analysis. These molecular-level results provide insights into compositional differences between BW and PW DOM and reveal the selective preservation and transformation processes governing organic matter across the sediment–water interface.
This dataset contains a compilation of noble gas, hydrochemistry, stable water isotopes and radiocarbon from dissolved organic carbon data sampled from geothermal power plants and research wells screened in the deep Upper Jurassic Aquifer in the South German Molasse Basin in Bavaria. This dataset was used to calculate noble gas infiltration temperatures and reconstruct the paleoclimate in Southern Germany during the Late Pleistocene. More details on the methods used to calculate noble gas infiltration temperatures and radiocarbon dating can be found in the associated publication.