Archeologists have discovered evidence of bronze metal working from the 15th Century in the Romanian city of Targu Mures. The finds are connected with a former Franciscan monastery and suggest that the monks produced bronze on site in the Middle Ages.

Over the last ten years, scrap bronze and other evidence associated with the production of bronze have been found in Targu Mures, suggesting that there was metal working activity in the city. But the latest excavation work has uncovered the remains of a furnace, providing much more conclusive evidence of bronze working and production on the monastic site. “Pieces found in the monastic context already indicated that the monastery could have been a workshop,” said Mureş Museum director Zoltan Soos.

He said it was the first such find of medieval bronze working in the area and proved that the town must have been something of a high-tech center, citing the complexity of producing and working with high-quality bronze. Soos added that the production of bronze objects, which could have included bells and implements associated with writing and book-binding, would have brought significant revenues to the monastery.

Recent construction and modernization work in Targu Mures has resulted in excavations in the old city. This has given archeologists the chance to make new discoveries about the town's historical role.

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