Reused and recycled. Archeometallurgical study of historical nails found in Guam, Mariana Islands, Western Pacific

Abstract

This article presents the results of the archaeometallurgical analyses (chemical, compositional, and mechanical) conducted on historic iron nails from the Marianas archipelago, in the western Pacific. The nails were recovered at the archaeological excavations of San Dionisio’s church and cemetery (Humåtak, Guam). They all came from abroad and were incorporated by the native communities through exchange, trade, or through the reuse of materials found in shipwrecks, although it is not possible at the moment to locate their exact origin. However, we know that all the analyzed samples had different metallographic and mechanical characteristics. This is the first study of these characteristics on Micronesia.