- Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History
University of Oklahoma
2401 Chautauqua Avenue
Norman, OK 73072-7029
Marc N. Levine
University of Oklahoma, Anthropology, Department Member
- Anthropology, Archaeology, Landscape Archaeology, Archaeological Method & Theory, Public Archaeology, Ceramic Analysis (Archaeology), and 27 moreDigital Archaeology, Mesoamerican Archaeology, Social Archaeology, Gender Archaeology, Household Archaeology, Southwestern Archaeology, Aztecs, Mesoamerica (Anthropology), Mesoamerican Ethnohistory, Oaxaca (Archaeology), Teotihuacan, Mesoamerican Religion, Oaxaca (Anthropology), Zapotec, Mixtec Codices, Cultural Heritage, Museum Anthropology, Illicit Antiquities Trade, Ancient Metallurgy, Archaeometallurgy, Metalwork (Archaeology), Archeometallurgy, Maya Archaeology, Oaxaca, Arqueología, Mesoamerica, and Museumedit
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
(The final publication is available at: https://link.springer.com/journal/10816) The basic principles of lost-wax casting, a metallurgical technology invented independently in the Old and New World, are relatively well understood. Yet... more
(The final publication is available at: https://link.springer.com/journal/10816)
The basic principles of lost-wax casting, a metallurgical technology invented independently in the Old and New World, are relatively well understood. Yet researchers across the globe still struggle to explain technological variability in this process, which has important ramifications for understanding the origin, development, and spread of lost-wax casting. This paper reports the discovery of an assemblage of ceramic molds that were utilized to make internal clay cores for lost-wax casting at Tututepec, a Late Postclassic (AD 1100-1522) capital located in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca. The molds enabled artisans to make highly standardized hollow metal artifacts, such as beads and ornaments, that served as adornments for high status individuals. Lost-wax casting, including internal core technology, initially spread to Mesoamerica from the Isthmo-Colombian Area, yet no molds similar to those found in Oaxaca have been reported from these Bdonor^ regions. Interestingly, core technology was also an important component of lost-wax casting in many areas of the Old World. Thus, the analysis presented here will contribute to comparative studies of lost-wax casting worldwide. Furthermore, this study introduces evidence for metal production from household excavations to examine the social context of metalworking in Oaxaca. The results challenge the once prevalent assumption that Oaxacan metallurgy was the exclusive domain of rulers, and instead strongly suggests that elites and commoners collaborated in this enterprise. Finally, the evidence presented here also confirms Tututepec's role as an important goldworking center in Postclassic Mesoamerica.
The basic principles of lost-wax casting, a metallurgical technology invented independently in the Old and New World, are relatively well understood. Yet researchers across the globe still struggle to explain technological variability in this process, which has important ramifications for understanding the origin, development, and spread of lost-wax casting. This paper reports the discovery of an assemblage of ceramic molds that were utilized to make internal clay cores for lost-wax casting at Tututepec, a Late Postclassic (AD 1100-1522) capital located in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca. The molds enabled artisans to make highly standardized hollow metal artifacts, such as beads and ornaments, that served as adornments for high status individuals. Lost-wax casting, including internal core technology, initially spread to Mesoamerica from the Isthmo-Colombian Area, yet no molds similar to those found in Oaxaca have been reported from these Bdonor^ regions. Interestingly, core technology was also an important component of lost-wax casting in many areas of the Old World. Thus, the analysis presented here will contribute to comparative studies of lost-wax casting worldwide. Furthermore, this study introduces evidence for metal production from household excavations to examine the social context of metalworking in Oaxaca. The results challenge the once prevalent assumption that Oaxacan metallurgy was the exclusive domain of rulers, and instead strongly suggests that elites and commoners collaborated in this enterprise. Finally, the evidence presented here also confirms Tututepec's role as an important goldworking center in Postclassic Mesoamerica.