Overview

In the 30 years since the first British Museum volume dedicated to the scientific study of early metallurgy, there has been great progress in understanding the diversity of processes by which ores were mined and smelted as well as significant advances in the methods of study of these. In particular, the experimental replication of ancient processes has assumed ever greater importance. This volume arose from the conference Metallurgy: A Touchstone for Cross-cultural Interaction which took place at the British Museum. The papers largely relate to mining and extractive metallurgy.The inception and nature of the first smelting technologies of copper and tin in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Africa, and of zinc in China and iron in Africa, the Middle East and Britain are discussed together with insights into the archaeology and experimental replication of the processes. The authors are drawn from major institutions worldwide, reflecting the international interest the subject now commands.

Full Product Details

Author:   Susan La Niece ,  Duncan R. Hook ,  Paul Craddock
Publisher:   Archetype Publications Ltd
Imprint:   Archetype Publications Ltd
Dimensions:   Width: 21.30cm , Height: 1.40cm , Length: 30.10cm
Weight:   0.989kg
ISBN:  

9781904982197

ISBN 10:   1904982190
Pages:   256
Publication Date:   01 November 2007
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

Preface and acknowledgementsIntroduction: achievements and challengesMining and smelting* Chalcolithic copper smelting* Zambujal and the beginnings of metallurgy in southern Portugal* The use of experimental archaeology/archaeometallurgy for the understanding and reconstruction of Early Bronze Age mining and smelting technologies* On the edge of success: the scientific examination of the products of the Early Mines Research Group smelting experiments* Towards a functional and typological classification of crucibles* Records of palaeo-pollution from mining and metallurgy as recorded by three ombrotrophic peat bogs in Wales, UKCopper, tin and bronze* Prehistoric copper production at Timna: thermoluminescence (TL) dating and evidence from the East* On the origins of metallurgy in prehistoric Southeast Asia: the view from Thailand* Coals to Newcastle, copper to Magan? Isotopic analyses and the Persian Gulf metals trade* The first use of metal on Minoan Crete* Cross-cultural Minoan networks and the development of metallurgy in Bronze Age Crete* One hundred years on: what do we know about tin and bronze production in southern Africa?Brass and zinc* Of brass and bronze in prehistoric Southwest Asia* Brasses in the early metallurgy of the Iberian peninsula* The beginning of the use of brass in Europe with particular reference to the southeastern Alpine region* Roman brass and lead ingots from the western Mediterranean* Copper-based metal in the Inland Niger delta: metal and technology at the time of the Empire of Mali* Preliminary multidisciplinary study of the Miaobeihou zinc-smelting ruins at Yangliusi village, Fengdu county, Chongqing* The origin and invention of zinc-smelting technology in ChinaIron and steel* Slags and the city: early iron production at Tell Hammeh, Jordan and Tell Beth- Shemesh, Israel* Innovations in bloomery smelting in Iron Age and Romano-British England* Decisions set in slag: the human factor in African iron smelting* The anatomy of a furnace ... and some of its ramifications* Early Chinese ferrous swords from the British Museum collections* Crucible steel in medieval swordsIndex

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