Metalworking industries represent one of the most significant indicators of technological innovation, economic organization, and social specialization in Bronze Age societies. The Sistan region in eastern Iran, particularly the major site of Shahr-i Sokhta, provides extensive archaeological evidence for the production, use, and recycling of metal objects during the third millennium BC. Despite the absence of rich local sources of copper and tin, metalworkers in Sistan successfully developed advanced metallurgical practices through participation in long-distance exchange networks linking southeastern Iran, Central Asia, and the Indus Valley.
This study examines the metalworking system of Bronze Age Sistan with a focus on raw material procurement, smelting and alloying technologies, manufacturing techniques, typology of metal artifacts, and the organization of production. The research is based on archaeological excavations, regional surveys, archaeometric analyses, and comparative studies with neighboring cultural regions. The results indicate that copper-based alloys, including tin bronze and arsenical bronze, were produced in specialized workshops using small-scale furnaces and crucibles. The wide variety of metal artifacts—ranging from weapons and tools to ornaments, seals, figurines, and ritual objects—reflects a high level of technical expertise and craft specialization.
Overall, metalworking in Sistan played a fundamental role in the development of a complex economy, social differentiation, and interregional interactions in eastern Iran during the Bronze Age, highlighting the region’s strategic position within broader cultural and commercial networks.