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Abstract The deposit of 134 metal socketed arrowheads from the Late Bronze Age settlement in Wroclaw-Widawa in SW Poland was subject of multi-faceted analyses. The composition and structure of the metal (XRF, SEM, EDS) was examined in... more
Abstract The deposit of 134 metal socketed arrowheads from the Late Bronze Age settlement in Wroclaw-Widawa in SW Poland was subject of multi-faceted analyses. The composition and structure of the metal (XRF, SEM, EDS) was examined in samples from 15 objects, while the whole collection underwent macro- and micro-observations of production traces and use-wear. The bulk metal XRF analyses demonstrated that the arrowheads were made of tin bronze (Sn 3.0–11.6% wt). In terms of composition and structure, the samples represented four basic structural types: (1) homogeneous, (2) diffuse dendritic with two phases, (3) well-defined cored dendritic with phases, but with subordinate volume of eutectoid tin-rich phase and (4) well-defined cored dendritic with three phases with significant volume of eutectoid tin-rich phase. The dendritic structure of the metal in the sockets is crystallographically driven while in the cutting edges it is recrystallized, homogenised or plastically deformed. The manufacturing process of such a vast and homogenous collection required efficient casting methods, as well as skilled metalworker(s). The current dating methods do not allow to precisely state if the deposit represents one casting event or was collected over weeks or decades. The traces on the arrowheads included production traces (casting seams, casting jets), casting defects (sprue remnants and openings in the sockets), inward bending of the socket (probably due to core stabilization while casting) impact on the tips and barbs. The cast arrowheads were worked to obtain the desired shape and edge qualities: the sockets and the heads were ground, while the edges were hammered and sharpened. The arrowheads bear traces of being prepared for further use: they were hammered, ground and sharpened. Fractured or bent tips and bent barbs indicate that most of them were collected after use, removed from their shafts and deposited in a ceramic container within the settlement site.
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This research was conducted on historical copper slags from Leszczyna and Kondratów in Lower Silesia, Poland. The area, formerly known as the Old Copper Basin, was a mining and smelting centre between the 18th and 20th centuries, with a... more
This research was conducted on historical copper slags from Leszczyna and Kondratów in Lower Silesia, Poland. The area, formerly known as the Old Copper Basin, was a mining and smelting centre between the 18th and 20th centuries, with a dominant period in the 19th century. Cu-carbonates and residual chalcocite dominate local strata-bound copper deposits. Ore bodies are restricted to carbonate strata. A geochemical and mineralogical study of slag samples from four research sites allowed us to establish that a low amount of sulphur in slags results from S-poor ores, and pyrite with gypsum was implemented as reducing agents. Arkose sandstones served as a flux. During smelting, oxygen availability was limited, and temperature exceeded 1200 °C (18th- and 19th-century smelting) and 1400 °C (20th-century smelting). Calculated viscosity indexes mark the low efficiency of metal separation between the silicate and metallic phases. The skeletal and dendritic form of the crystals proved that sl...
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Although studies of production traces and use-wear in copper and bronze artefacts have been conducted already for a few decades, the influence of the conservation on these items did not receive much scholarly attention. It seems quite... more
Although studies of production traces and use-wear in copper and bronze artefacts have been conducted already for a few decades, the influence of the conservation on these items did not receive much scholarly attention. It seems quite surprising, as traceological analyses focus most often on conserved artefacts from museum collections. In the following article, the authors examine the impact the conservation has on traces of production and use-wear in bronze artefacts coming from three Bronze Age hoards: Karmin IV, Paszowice and Lubnowy Wielkie. All deposits have been analysed both before and after the conservation. Our results show that traces of production and use-wear might either become highlighted or fade in the conservation process. Thus, we should be extremely cautious when examining copper and bronze artefacts for the presence of these traces. The problem is especially critical for items which were not examined directly after the discovery but come from the already conserved museum collections.
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Research Interests: Archaeology, Art, Metallurgy, Bronze Age, Bronze, and 5 moreFunction, Archaeometalurgy, Mould, Casting Moulds, and Peat Bog
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The inventory of metal objects from the Marcinowice hoard is an excellent basis for research using various analytical methods. The article presents the results of macro and microscopic observations made with the use of the traseology... more
The inventory of metal objects from the Marcinowice hoard is an excellent basis for research using various analytical methods. The article presents the results of macro and microscopic observations made with the use of the traseology method. Thanks to the use of this method, traces related to manufacturing and use-wear of metal objects from the early Bronze Age were recorded. It has been established that all weaponry artefacts, except for the axe fragment, show signs of use in prehistory. In the case of the collection of neckrings, many traces of plastic working and the production of these items from semi-raw material in the form of long bars were recorded. The obtained observations contribute to the presentation of the issues of production and use of metal objects from the early Bronze Age, as well as to the extension of the database of traces recorded on artefacts from this section of prehistory.
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Abstract: The article is an attempt to addition issues related to experimental casting production and to disambiguate some of the concepts used in the descriptions of this process. It is based on observations of activities related to the... more
Abstract: The article is an attempt to addition issues related to experimental casting production and to disambiguate some of the concepts used in the descriptions of this process. It is based on observations of activities related to the preparation of a casting place and bronze casting in bivalve clay moulds. The experiments carried out tried to reproduce as faithfully as possible the devices used in the casting workshop in the Bronze Age. On the basis of archaeological data, the casting furnace was reconstructed. Thanks to the results of petrographic research of the original casting moulds, moulds of similar composition of the ceramic mass were made. Moulds used in the experiments were used to produce sickles and socketed axes. The production of casting moulds – the tools used for this purpose (bronze and lead models) and the activities (stamping, grinding) were described
in detail. Conducting experimental casts in bivalve clay casting moulds allowed to observation of production marks on the moulds surface. Documented burns on negatives surface are analogous to those preserved on original objects. Thanks to the multiple use of casting moulds, it is possible to determine their strength, as well as to compare the obtained products (casts) with the negative. Obtained results confirm the possibility of multiple use of bivalve clay moulds.
in detail. Conducting experimental casts in bivalve clay casting moulds allowed to observation of production marks on the moulds surface. Documented burns on negatives surface are analogous to those preserved on original objects. Thanks to the multiple use of casting moulds, it is possible to determine their strength, as well as to compare the obtained products (casts) with the negative. Obtained results confirm the possibility of multiple use of bivalve clay moulds.
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Mgr Kamil Nowak i dr Dawid Sych mają przyjemność zaprosić Państwa na sesję Badania eksperymentalne i analizy traseologiczne w archeologii. Sesja związana jest z teorią archeologii doświadczalnej oraz wynikami badań eksperymentalnych i... more
Mgr Kamil Nowak i dr Dawid Sych mają przyjemność zaprosić Państwa na sesję Badania eksperymentalne i analizy traseologiczne w archeologii. Sesja związana jest z teorią archeologii doświadczalnej oraz wynikami badań eksperymentalnych i rezultatami związanych z nimianaliz traseologicznych. Do zaprezentowania efektów przeprowadzanych eksperymentów zapraszamy wszystkich badaczy zainteresowanych szeroko pojętą rekonstrukcją technik wytwórczych i sposobów użytkowania poszczególnych artefaktów, badaniem mikrośladów oraz ich interpretacją. Mamy nadzieję, że to spotkanie pozwoli nam nie tylko zapoznać się z realizowanymi przez uczestników projektami, ale będzie także przyczynkiem do szerszej dyskusji, która zaowocuje nowymi, wartościowymi przedsięwzięciami. Zgłoszenia przyjmowane są do końca kwietnia! Szczegółowe informacje pod adresem: http://ssyma2017.archeo.uni.wroc.pl/pl/index.php
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Of all historical periods of Europe, the Bronze Age and the Iron Age were the time during which thousands of hoards were found, and the most complex depositional phenomena can be observed in the archaeological record. It is no wonder that... more
Of all historical periods of Europe, the Bronze Age and the Iron Age were the time during which thousands of hoards were found, and the most complex depositional phenomena can be observed in the archaeological record. It is no wonder that the research of these two eras produced fundamental works on the topic of hoards from the point of theory, practice and methodology. The several new results from the past decades indicates to us that we have come to a new turning point in respect to the means of investigating and interpreting this very phenomenon. They are based both on new theoretical proposals, as well as on an increasingly broad range of data, describing the context of the deposition act. Other approaches focus on the elements of hoards, i.e. selected artefacts, which are being studied in some cases literally at 'microscopic' levels. Particularly important are the new methods used in hoards research, which include such diverse procedures as: research on their specificity in the landscape, network analysis of hoarding patterns, metallurgical studies, microscopic analysis of use-wear traces and destruction of metal objects, archaeometric analyses of arti- and ecofact accompanying metals and many others. Their use allows us to broaden the discussions that have been going on for over a hundred years about the reasons for depositing valuables, their importance in prehistoric cultures, and through better understanding of prehistoric communities though Europe. Both the development of archaeology and the significant growth of the number of newly discovered metal artefacts leads one to considerations over the appropriate means for conducting research on these enigmatic finds.
If your research interests are:
- hoards from the Bronze and Iron Ages;
- additionally, by analyzing them, you use a multidisciplinary approach;
- especially if you propose the use of methods that were previously not used in research of hoard finds;
- and/or would like to propose a new theoretical approach to interpretation phenomenon of mass deposition of valuables.
We would like to invite you to participate in our session and we hope that it will be very scientifically inspiring.
If your research interests are:
- hoards from the Bronze and Iron Ages;
- additionally, by analyzing them, you use a multidisciplinary approach;
- especially if you propose the use of methods that were previously not used in research of hoard finds;
- and/or would like to propose a new theoretical approach to interpretation phenomenon of mass deposition of valuables.
We would like to invite you to participate in our session and we hope that it will be very scientifically inspiring.
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After the successful meetings in Hradec Králové (2015) and Nürnberg (2017) we would like to invite you to Wrocław. We invite scholars to present results of their studies on Early Iron Age of Central Europe, with the particular focus on... more
After the successful meetings in Hradec Králové (2015) and Nürnberg (2017) we would like to invite you to Wrocław. We invite scholars to present results of their studies on Early Iron Age of Central Europe, with the particular focus on the Hallstatt and La Tène cultural zones.