This week, Nathalie Kellens (KULeuven) and Patrick Degryse (Physico-Chemical Geology, KULeuven) classified debris from smithing activities retrieved from the urban and territorial surveys and from the excavations within the city center according to weight, volume, density, mineralogy, chemistry, ellipticity, flatness, position in the smithing hearth and profile of the cakes. As a result, distinct groups of slag material could be distinguished throughout different contexts and chronological deposits, although further in depth study of the material is needed, especially in terms of stratigraphical analysis. Preliminary results indicate that differences in profile of the cakes and preservation state of the slag may have a chronological or contextual implication. Cakes with a state of preservation of 50% seem to be related to typical secondary dump deposits, whereas possible primary dumps contain usually fully preserved smithing bottoms. Cakes retrieved from early and middle Byzantine contexts seem to differ in profile from middle and late Roman ones, possibly indicating different types of smithing activities or applied smithing technology. Furthermore, our first crucible fragment was found among the city survey ceramics of this year, retrieved from the zone southwest of the colonnaded street, to be sent to Belgium for further analysis. It is striking that the geophysical survey of this year also indicated metallurgical activities in that specific area (see Surveys, Geophysical, July 18-22).