The volume offers a synthesis of knowledge concerning the early European blacksmith´s craft as gained by interdisciplinary approach, from the point of view of history, archaeology and material science of metals. The beginnings of iron, tools, forging operations, smithies and their equipment as well as influence of technical metal in the history are treated.
Author(s): Radomír Pleiner
Publisher: Archeologický ústav AV ČR
Year: 2006
Language: English
Pages: 396
City: Praha
List of figures xii
List of plates xiv
Preface xv
Foreword and introduction 1
I. Iron in Eurasian Bronze Ages 3
II. The Early Iron Ages 10
III. Iron and steel 18
Nomenclature 18
Physical properties of iron 19
Recent classification of iron and steel 21
IV. The blacksmith’s starting stock 23
Bipyramidal ingots 23
'Taleae ferreae' 32
Ancient Greek barter iron 37
Roman ingots 39
Early medieval tool-shaped blanks 43
Other medieval bars 50
V. Forging operations 53
The forming 53
Heat treatment 65
VI. The smith’s tools 71
The find complexes 71
Tools from smithies 71
Smithing tools from settlements 72
Smithing tools from graves 72
Smithing tools from hoards 74
The tools 75
Hammers 76
Tongs 81
Cutting and piercing tools 90
Iron anvils 93
Swages and dies 97
Files 99
Wire-drawing irons and clips 101
Metal sheet shears 105
Forge spoons 105
VII. Smithing wastes 109
Fuel 109
Fuel ash 110
Hammer scale 110
Smithing slags 112
The problem of the slag cakes 112
Amorphous smithing slag 120
Iron scrap 122
VIII. Smithing installations 123
The hearths 123
Other installations 131
The bellows and bellows protection 131
The anvil as smithing equipment 133
Water tanks 133
Fuel stores and waste deposits 134
IX. The smithies 135
Urban smithies of the early antiquity 135
Roman urban smithies 138
Roman rural and road smithies 146
Smithies in Roman 'villae rusticae' 149
Iron Age smithies in central and northern Europe 151
Celtic and Dacian smithies 153
Germanic rural smithies 156
Smithies in early medieval pre-urban centres 160
Smithies in medieval towns 164
Medieval rural smithies 169
Medieval castle smithies 174
Monastic smithies 177
Smithies at mines 178
X. The smith’s products 184
Iron inlays 184
Iron artefacts in graves and hoards 185
Iron finds fromsettlement layers and the scope of artefact production 190
XI. Metallography of early irons: Reconstructed technologies 194
Simple techniques 196
Working of low carbon and heterogeneous wrought iron 196
All-steel artefacts 198
Forge welding of carbon-poor iron 199
Advanced techniques 200
Additional carburizing 200
Forge welding of iron and hardenable steel 202
Plating with steel 202
Steel shells 203
Iron-steel-sandwich 204
Welding-in the steel 206
Scarf welding-on of steel 208
Butt-welding of steel 211
Top techniques 212
Striped blades 212
Pattern-welding 214
Pattern-welded swords 215
Pattern-welded lanceheads 219
Pattern-welded knives 220
Armour making 222
Locksmithing 224
Clock making 225
XII. Concise history of early European blacksmithing 226
The beginning of the use of iron and the first smiths 226
Blacksmiths in the ancient civilizations of Greece and Rome 228
Celtic ironworkers 231
Beyond the Roman frontier: the Germanic, Cimmerian and Scythian tribes 233
Blacksmith’s work in the High Middle Ages 236
Glossary of technical terms 240
Glossary of historical and archaeological terms 244
Acknowledgements 258
Bibliography 259
Selected abbreviations 321
Indexes 322
Plates 341
