Iron production in Ptolemaic Egypt: From the Abu Gerida specular hematite mines to the Hamama smelting workshop

This article will look into the phenomenon of syncretism from two different points of view. Firstly, syncretism will be discussed from a conceptual perspective in relation to elaborations on belief, an equally perplexing concept in the studies of ancient Greek religion. Secondly, a very selective example of the syncretism between the goddess Demeter and Isis as an object of veneration in Ptolemaic Egypt will be looked at more closely in order to bring the conceptual perspective into closer contact with the contextual one. It will be argued that syncretism can be regarded both as an essence of polytheistic religious systems in particular, and as a process of syncretization. Once a metaphorical understanding of syncretism is added to these views, believing in a syncretistic deity (Demeter-Isis in our case) appears doubtful since a new entity in a polytheistic belief-system would have entailed a fundamental change in the belief system itself as well as an introduction of totally new features to the conception of deities in general.

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An exploratory study of copper and iron production at Marothodi, an early 19th century Tswana town, Rustenburg District, South Africa

Journal of African Archaeology ◽

10.3213/1612-1651-10061 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

pp. 3-35 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Simon Hall ◽

Duncan Miller ◽

Mark Anderson ◽

Jan Boeyens

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

19Th Century ◽

Exploratory Study ◽

Iron Production ◽

Early 19Th Century

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Iron Production in Northern Benin: Excavations at Kompa Moussékoubou

Journal of African Archaeology ◽

10.3213/2191-5784-10263 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. 39-57 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Caroline Robion-Brunner ◽

Anne Haour ◽

Marie-Pierre Coustures ◽

Louis Champion ◽

Didier Béziat

Keyword(s):

Detailed Analysis ◽

Great Variability ◽

Iron Production ◽

Furnace Design ◽

History Of ◽

Republic Of Benin ◽

Rare Opportunity

In the context of the “Crossroads of Empires” project led by Anne Haour, one strand of enquiry aims to understand the history of blacksmith groups and the development of iron production in Dendi country, in the northern Republic of Benin. Numerous remains of iron production have been discovered, showing a great variability in furnace design and waste assemblages. At least three smelting traditions can be distinguished. In this paper, we present the smelting site of Kompa Moussékoubou (10th/11th c. AD) which has been investigated by archaeological and archaeometric methods. Beyond the archaeometallurgical results, the excavation of a 1 x 2 m trench on a settlement mound nearby and survey work, which place the site within its wider context, are also discussed. In particular, we offer a detailed analysis of the ceramics recovered during test pitting and within one of the furnaces itself. This paper thus offers a rare opportunity to combine archaeometallurgical and ceramics data.

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