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Communication Dans Un Congrès Année : 2022

Microscale analysis on the first metal of Greece: a methodological way to reconstruct manufacturing processes for Neolithic metal objects.

Résumé

Metalwork emerged early in Greece, at the end of the Neolithic. During this period, the population started to work with gold, copper and even silver. At the end of the 6th millennium, the metal used was pure or native, without alloys. But we do not have much knowledge about their manufacturing processes: neither workshops nor tools have been discovered yet. However, we can make some hypotheses because during this period, it is quite possible that metal was worked like other more common materials of the Neolithic, such as stone or shell. These actions have left traces on the objects, still visible when the object is not too corroded. These can be observed on their surface with an optical camera, up to a magnification of 200. To interpret them, experimental archaeology is employed. One can then compare the archaeological and the experimental objects with the optical camera, after having tested different techniques (cold hammering, hot hammering, casting). This approach has been conducted on the neolithic metal objects from Dikili Tash, a prehistoric tell settlement in Eastern Macedonia. It allows us to understand the way in which the objects were made, from the obtaining of a workable raw material to the surface finishes. The particular characteristics of the traces identified on Neolithic metal objects is linked to the use of "simple" tools, mainly of stone. Several techniques are differentiated according to whether the maker sought to obtain hardness (weapons and tools) or a high level of aesthetics (ornaments). Changes occur between the end of the Neolithic and the beginning of the Bronze Age, with the use of alloys and the resulting decrease in fusion temperatures facilitating new techniques for metalworking.
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Dates et versions

hal-03930863 , version 1 (09-01-2023)

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  • HAL Id : hal-03930863 , version 1

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Valentine Martin. Microscale analysis on the first metal of Greece: a methodological way to reconstruct manufacturing processes for Neolithic metal objects.. [RE]INTEGRATION: 28th EAA Annual Meeting, European Association of Archaeologists, Aug 2022, Budapest, Hungary. ⟨hal-03930863⟩
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