The excavation of a cache of lead ingots in Liujiazhuang Locus North of Yinxu, Anyang, Henan

In August 2015, an earthen cache pit of lead ingots was discovered to the northwest of Liujiazhuang Village within the Yinxu site. The round pit yielded an assemblage of 293 lead ingots weighed 3404kg. The ingots are shaped like turtle shells with broader fronts and narrower rears. Their full length measured from 10cm to 70cm. Lead was an important element in the bronze metallurgy of the Shang and Zhou dynasties. The excavation of the cache of lead ingots is significant to the studies of the scale, technology, organization, and management of the bronze-casting industry of the Shang dynasty.

Ancient Ceramic Casting Molds from the Southern Russian Far East: Identification of Alloy Traces via Application of Nondestructive SEM-EDS and pXRF Methods

The investigation presented in this paper is a unique assemblage of ceramic casting molds discovered at one of the sites from the Bohai period (698–926) in the territory of the southern Russian Far East. The main research aim is to recognize probable traces of metal alloys cast in ceramic molds. Nondestructive pXRF and SEM-EDS methods were used as the research instruments for detecting the expected alloys’ chemical components. As a result, the elements Pb, Sn, Cu, and As were indicated at the surfaces of the molds’ cavities with evidence of carbonization caused by the casting process. Preliminarily, two groups of alloys were distinguished: lead-bearing alloys and lead-free alloys. Our new insights are in good accordance with the results of previous investigations on chemical compositions of bronzes from the Bohai period archaeological sites of the southern Russian Far East. In particular, data on the examination of ceramic molds confirm the conclusion that various kinds of copper alloys were known and used in the bronze casting craft of the Bohai period.

Lány – ein Produktionsort gegossenener Bronzen der Spätawarenzeit in der awarisch-slawischen Kontaktzone des unteren Thayatals

Interdisciplinary research, carried out by the Masaryk University Brno and the University of Vienna, at the site of Lány (CZ) at the border between Austria and Moravia has revealed a large settlement (∼12ha) from the 6th century until the 8th/9th century in a contact zone between Slavonic and Avarian influences. Aside from pottery that ranges from early slavic finds of the Prague type to specimens of the middle-danubian tradition („mitteldanubische Kulturtradition“) and other finds such as spindle whorls etc. several dozen typical Avar belt accessories have been found. Most of them date to the late Avar III period, are brand new and do not show any traces of usage. Together with semi-finished products, miscast objects and remains of the bronze casting process, we interpret Lány as a production site/workshop for Avar belts.Lány is at the very Northwestern periphery of the Avar Khaganate. However, material culture, aside from the belt accessories, is much more associated with what we know from regions where Slavonic populations of the 7th/8th century had settled.We furthermore discuss the usage of Avar belts amongst the Slavic elites of the 8th century and possible explanations for the dense distribution of Avar finds outside of the Khaganate.

Bronze-casting workshops of the Vengerovo-2 settlement (Baraba forest steppe)

The formation of the early bronze-casting production in Baraba and the appearance of products of the Seima-Turbino type were completed within the 3rd — early 2nd mil. BC — during the existence of the Krotovo Cul-ture. Plenty of work has been devoted to its characterization; the presence of bronze-casting on the sites has been noted, but special studies of this type of sources are extremely few. The purpose of this paper is to present the characteristics of the production areas associated with the processing of non-ferrous metals, based on mate-rials of the Vengerovo-2 settlement of the Krotovo Culture. Production sites were studied in six dwellings of the settlement. The uniformity of the workshops has been revealed in terms of site planning and principles of organi-zation of the production, although differences in scale have been noted. The use of two types of the forges has been recorded. In all these workshops and in other sites of the culture, a multifunctional sub-rectangular hearth buried in the ground with the walls and floor lined with fragments of ceramics or clay coating was found (with di-mensions of 1.65×0.87–2.3×0.9×0.21–0.52 m). The second type of the forges is less common — a small round or oval pit (0.4–0.5 m in diameter) with the bottom and walls lined with baked clay or fragments. The smelting was carried out with forced air supply. The casting of the metal was taking place next to the forge. Crushed bones were used as fuel. The production complex demonstrates extensive external economic and commercial ties. This is manifested by penetration of significant volumes of non-ferrous metal into the ore-barren areas of the Central Baraba, as well as by the presence of imported foundry equipment (molds made of marl and talc). The simultaneous presence inside the casters’ dwellings of bones of taiga-zone animals and those living in the southern, steppe regions indicates significant length of the supply routes. The specific features and unification of the production of the manufacturing equipment, nature of the work carried out, volume of heats, and a large number of similar-type forms suggest specialization of the village in the bronze casting production.

A new FTIR method for estimating the firing temperature of ceramic bronze-casting moulds from early China

Intricate ceramic bronze-casting moulds are among the most significant archaeological remains found at Bronze Age metallurgical workshops in China. Firing temperature was presumably one of the most important technical factors in mould making. However, it has proven difficult to determine the firing temperatures of excavated moulds using existing analytical methods. This study establishes an innovative new method for using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) to estimate the firing temperature of clay-containing remains. The method is based on the finding that the infrared absorptivity of fired clay minerals, measured at the Si–O–Si stretching resonance band, is negatively correlated with firing temperature. Moulds and mould cores dating to the Early Shang period (sixteenth to fourteenth century BCE) are found to have been fired at extremely low temperatures—as low as 200–300 °C in many instances. These results provide critical new data for understanding the metallurgical technology of ancient China.

Preliminary Development of Cold Spray Procedures for Nickel Aluminum Bronze Casting Repair

Nickel aluminum bronze (NAB) castings possess favourable combinations of strength and resistance to corrosion, biofouling and cavitation/erosion, and so have long been used in naval applications. Nonetheless, in seawater environments NAB castings are susceptible to selective phase corrosion and so such components periodically require either replacement, which is very costly, or repair. However, repairs involving traditional, high heat input welding operations can lead to distortion and microstructural changes that unacceptably degrade NAB corrosion performance, and so repairs are not commonly performed. In the present work, cold spray is explored as an alternative for NAB (alloy CuAl9Fe5Ni5) repair without excessive distortion or base metal degradation, and preliminary results of its performance reported. Suitable cold spray parameters have been determined using an iterative approach by analyzing deposits in terms of microstructure, porosity and adhesion to the substrate. It is intended that these parameters will later be used to create simulated repairs which can be more thoroughly characterized for strength, toughness and corrosion performance.

At the Dawn of Metallurgy: Bronze Casting Production of the Ob-Irtysh Forest-Steppe Population in the Early Bronze Age

Th e monograph is devoted to the problems of studying the bronze casting production of the Ust-Tartasskaya, the Odinovskaya and the Krotovskaya cultures of the Barabinsk forest-steppe Early Bronze Age. Th e work was carried out within the framework of an integrated analytical approach, which includes the use of traditional archaeological methods and data obtained as a result of the application of natural sciences methods. A method for determining the functional purpose of technical ceramics fragments is proposed. Th e archaeological context of the fi nds is described in detail and the characteristics of the bronze casting sites are given. Products of the foundry set of production equipment are represented by fragments of nozzles, molds and crucibles. For each item, full descriptions, analogies, the results of binocular analysis of molding masses and thermal studies are given. An assessment to the cultural, chronological and innovative traditions of bronze casting in certain periods of the Bronze Age is given. Th e book is addressed to specialists-archaeologists, ethnographers and everyone who is interested in the most ancient industries among the population of Siberia.

Basic Principles of Meaning Expression in the Applied Arts of Ancient Mongolia

В статье рассматривается проблема влияния концептов сознания, разделявшихся творцами древней культуры Монголии на образы, заложенные в произведениях декоративно-прикладного творчества. В качестве стержневой идеи такого смысловыражения принято учение арга билиг. Материалами послужили произведения древнего искусства Монголии и результаты исследований монгольских и российских археологов, искусствоведов и культурологов. Изучены традиционные принципы и символика монгольского декоративно-прикладного искусства. На многочисленных примерах (оленные камни, гуннское литье, печати ханов, стеганый войлок и т. д.) показаны основные образы, свойственные искусству древней Монголии, определены принципы создания символического изображения. Сделан вывод, что благодаря сочетанию принципов «арга» и «билиг» монгольское искусство во все времена являет собой органическое единство взаимосвязанных частей, сплетенное из элементов, по смыслу своему принадлежащих одному из двух противоположных полюсов мироздания. The authors consider the problem of the influence of the concepts of Mongolian ancient culture creators’ consciousness on the images inherent in the works of applied arts they created. The doctrine arga bilig, which proceeds from the understanding that harmony in the world is determined by the struggle and unity of two opposing principles, is accepted as the core idea of such meaning expression. The materials for the study were the works of Mongolia’s ancient art and the results of research by Mongolian and Russian archaeologists, art historians and cultural scientists. The methodology of the work was formed by the approaches adopted in the semiotics of space and the concept of “symbolic forms” developed by Ernst Cassirer and reflecting the properties of mythological consciousness. The essence of the concepts arga and bilig as the fundamental foundations of the worldview of ancient Mongolia’s nomads is revealed. The traditional principles and symbols of Mongolian arts and crafts are studied. The authors examine the symbolism of the deer stone culture, noting that it originated in Mongolia, and then spread to the territory of Eastern Europe. In the aspect of analyzing the symbolic meaning, the works of Hun casting (animal style), khans’ seals, quilted felt are studied. The main images inherent in the ancient and medieval art of Mongolia are shown, the principles of creating a symbolic image are determined. The principles that determine the meaning expression of the motives of the arga type (its images correspond to the Upper World in the structure of the Mongols’ mythological consciousness) are revealed. The principle of depicting symbolic motifs of the bilig type (according to the views of representatives of the nomadic culture, it belongs to the Lower World) is revealed. The mutual connections of the Upper and Lower Worlds, embodied in symbols, determine the semantic fullness and significance of the image. The authors point out that the main works, made according to the principle of depicting the mutual connection of arga and bilig, are bronze casting objects with animal style motives, as well as ornamental compositions. The authors conclude that, due to the combination of the principles of arga and bilig, Mongolian art at all times represents an organic unity of interconnected parts, woven from elements that, in their meaning, belong to one of the two opposite poles of the universe. This unity is the pivotal idea of the nomadic culture and determines its harmonious existence in the integral system of the macrocosm.