Accidental and Experimental Archaeometallurgy
Occasional Publication No 7
Accidental and Experimental Archaeometallurgy: papers and reports from the 2010 meeting in West Dean.
Experimental archaeology has acquired a central position amongst the many methods and techniques that have been used to expand our understanding of early metallurgy. Nevertheless, experimental practices remain mysterious to some and poorly disseminated among wider communities. This volume represents an attempt to remedy the paucity of published material and includes many contributions that underscore important theoretical and methodological concerns alongside a number of case studies. Leading figures from across this broad community have come together to provide a coherent publication which details the scope of a number of practices that together are known as experimental archaeometallurgy.
Edited by David Dungworth and Roger Doonan.
Contents
Experimental archaeometallurgy in perspective. Roger C P Doonan and David Dungworth.
Experimental archaeometallurgy: hypothesis testing, happy accidents and theatrical performances. David Dungworth.
Recovering value in experimental studies of ancient metallurgy: a theoretical framework for future studies? Roger C P Doonan.
Twenty-five years of bloomery experiments: perspectives and prospects. Peter Crew.
How to avoid accidents: A critique of archaeometallurgical smelting experiments. John Merkel.
Temperature profiles and cast iron production in experimental iron-smelting furnaces. Gerry McDonnell.
An American bloomery in Sussex. Lee Sauder.
Smelting for fun: hypothesis testing, happy accidents and theatrical performances. Jake Keen.
Experimenting with bowl furnaces. Brice Girbal.
Monstrous fallacies and the assembly of archaeometallurgical experiments. Roger C P Doonan.
A report on the Wealden Iron Research Group smelt. Tim Smith.
Making steel in the ‘Aristotle furnace’. Lee Sauder.
What have experimental archaeologists done for us? Iron in the East Yorkshire Iron Age. Peter Halkon.
Forging with Dogon smiths (Mali). Raphaëlle Soulignac and Vincent Serneels.
Does pattern-welding make Anglo-Saxon swords stronger? Tom Birch.
From ore to artefact: smelting Alderley Edge copper ores and the casting of a small copper axe. Simon Timberlake.
Small scale reduction of argentiferous galena: first experimental approach to ore assaying techniques. Joseph Gauthier and Florian Téreygeol.
An experimental study of some early copper smithing techniques. David Dungworth.
Exploring metallurgy at Stepnoye: the role of ceramics in the matte conversion process. Derek Pitman, Roger Doonan, Bryan Hanks, Dmitry Zdanovich, Elena Kupriyanova, Lente Van Brempt and David Montgomery.
Scientific examination of materials used in the experiments. Matt Phelps.
Reviews
“…this volume is important, perhaps essential. For in one place there are great resumés of what has been achieved and multiples suggestions of what needs to be done. Splendid, readable and parts exciting”.
British Archaeology Jan-Feb 2014
“…whether you are looking for a book on experimental archaeology, or are looking to try your hand at iron production with an historical bent, or just have a passing interest in slags and ores; I guarantee that this book would be a worthwhile purchase.”
EXARC Issue 2015/1
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