Some ancient smelting furnaces of the Roman iron-working site of Les M
artys (Aude, France) were renovated and used to again produce iron blo
oms in conditions assumed similar to those of the Roman period. After
a short description of the experimentation, the results of chemical an
alysis and metallographic examinations of the materials produced (tap
slags, slagged furnace structures, iron blooms...) are reported. Parts
of elaborated iron blooms were forged to demonstrate their forging ca
pability. The composition, nature and microstructure of the materials
obtained from these experiments were compared, when possible, to those
of similar Roman materials. This comparison leads to a better knowled
ge and understanding of the Roman iron smelting processes. Furthermore
, the present works permit to define more appropriate conditions for n
ew improved experiments.