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Communication Dans Un Congrès Année : 2023

Metrological standardisation of metallic artefacts: between production and exchange requirements. The example of Médoc axes

Résumé

The idea that some part of Late Prehistory metallic production follows metrological requirements is deeply embedded in Bronze Age European research. It is traditionally considered that such a standardisation through measures aims to facilitate exchanges and economic transactions. That trading process can take two forms: the homogenisation of the quantities of products or the creation of a consensual mean of exchange, in other words moneys or paléomonnaies. Such a hypothesis is a persistent theme in the reconstruction of Bronze Age societies and their economies since the end of the 19th century. Nevertheless, there is still very few in-depth analyses of the metrological features of the metallic artefacts to highlight whether the archaeological data is consistent with it. In the few cases that allow a validation of the hypothesis, the frame of use of the standardisation and its purposes remain limited. With this presentation we want to provide an overview of the state of the art on the topic as well as the models dealing with the metrology of metallic objects. From this baseline, we then question them through several examples and case studies. In particular, we will focus on the study of a series of axes found in southwestern France and dated to the Middle Bronze Age: the so-called Médoc axes. That research relies on the analysis of some 350 axes from the Middle Bronze Age southwestern coast of France. They will be first analysed from a metrological point of view questioning the metrological standardisation of these objects. Through different analysis, we will determine if their dimensions, volumes and masses can correspond to the application of metrological principles, and what characterise them. Then, we will focus on the features that highlight their production. We will particularly deal with the types and number of moulds used, specifically inside same hoards, through the application of 3D acquisition and modelling protocols. We will also compare the results of several composition and isotopic analysis to talk about the alloys involved in their manufacture and the provenance of the metal. Our objective is to question the place of the metrology in the manufacture of metallic goods. Often considered only for its possible economic outcomes, the application of metrological standards shows a deep entanglement with the manufacturing process themselves. That lead to consider the metrology as an integral part of the chaîne opératoire to produce metallic objects. The comprehension of degrees of accuracy of the metrological aspects and their insertion inside the manufacturing processes can shed new light on the standardisation and its functions.
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Dates et versions

hal-04321257 , version 1 (04-12-2023)

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  • HAL Id : hal-04321257 , version 1

Citer

Thibault Picard, Thibaud Poigt, Nicolas Frerebeau, Alexis Gorgues, Florent Comte. Metrological standardisation of metallic artefacts: between production and exchange requirements. The example of Médoc axes. DEWA 2023 - Dialogues between Eastern and Western Archaeometallurgy (3rd-1st millenium BC), Nov 2023, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France. ⟨hal-04321257⟩
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