| 1. |
- Svensson, Andreas
(författare)
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Kontextualisering av metallhantverk på landsbygden - arkeometallurgi och landskapsstudiemetodik
- 2015
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Ingår i: Bronzestöbning i yngre bronzealders lokale kulturlandskab. - 9788792778390 ; 5, s. 131-137
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Bokkapitel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The research project "Exclusive metalworking in rural settings" was instigated in 2013 with funding from Berit Wallenbergs foundation. The projects objective is to survey sites housing remains of multimetal craftsmanship of the late Iron Age and medieval periods outside urban contexts. This article aims to contextualize preliminary results from the project by evaluating its chosen source material and methodology and relating it to a wider chronological sphere. Multimetal craftsmanship or complex smithing can be traced in the archaeological record through composite objects incorporating more the one metal,mostly iron or steel and copper alloys. The craft can also be discerned through metallurgical waste material like slag cakes from smithing showing traces of the handling of copper alloys. The material used in the survey stems exclusively from Swedish contract archaeology of the last decades. Raw results from contract archaeology are far too rarely used to their full potential in contemporary archaeological research. The survey project hence serve as a good example of how these results can be utilized in contemporary research. A few essential problems were identified in the survey process. Most notable of these was the lack of basic interpretation of the metallurgical remains that was sometimes displayed in contract archaeology basic reports.¨ This is partly ndue to insufficient time and resources given to certain projects but it’s also concluded that the archaeometallurgical knowledgebase may be inadequate in a few instances. These problems are also argued to be a factor in the miscommunication between present contract archaeology and academia, causing harmful mistrust on both sides. The analysis of the positioning of multimetal craftsmanship in the cultural landscape has yielded results as to the resource management, economic and social structure requirements and spatial make-up of Late Iron Age and early medieval metalworking. This article argues that the methodology used in the project "Exclusive metalworking in rural settings" could be fruitfully employed across wide chronological and thematic spans. By viewing the metalworking sites as active source material in archaeometallurgical research, new insights can be gained regarding both metalworking as a craft and and its defining agent - the metalworkers.
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| 2. |
- Svensson, Andreas
(författare)
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Multimetal smithing : An urban craft in rural settings?
- 2016
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Ingår i: ; , s. 80-81
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Multimetal smithing should be defined as the use of more than one metal and/or different metalworking techniques within thesame crafts-milieu. This complex metalworking has long been linked to centrality, central places and urbanity in Scandinavia.It has been extensively argued that fine casting and smithing, as well as manufacture utilizing precious metals was exclusivelyundertaken within early urban settings or the “central places” pre-dating these. Furthermore, the presence of complex metalcraftsmanship has been used as a driving indicator of the political, social and economic superiority of certain sites, therebyenhancing their identity as “centralities”.Recent research has come to challenge the universality of this link between urbanity, centrality and complex metalworkingas sites in rural settings with evidence of multimetal smithing are being identified. This shows that the relationship between thecraft and centrality (urbanity) must be nuanced and that perhaps multimetal craftsmanship should be reconsidered as an urbanindicator.The thesis project “From Crucible and onto Anvil” started in 2015 and focuses on sites housing remains of multimetalcraftsmanship dating primarily from 500-1000 AD. Within the project a comprehensive survey of sites will be used to evaluate thepresence of multimetal craftsmanship in the landscape. Sites in selected target areas will also be subject to intra-site analysisfocusing on workshop organisation, production output, metalworking techniques and chronological variances.A key aim in the project is to elucidate the conceptual aspects of complex metalworking. The term multimetality is used toanalytically frame all the societal and economic aspects of multimetal craftsmanship. Through this inclusive perspective both thecraftsmanship and the metalworkers behind it are positioned within the overall socioeconomic framework. The metalworkers,their skills and competences as well as the products of their labour are viewed as dynamic actors in the landscape and on thearenas of political economy of the Late Iron Age.The survey has already revealed interesting aspects concerning multimetal smithing and urbanity. Although the multimetalsites do cluster against areas of early urban development there are also other patterns emerging. Multimetal craftsmanship – both as practice and concept – was well represented in both rural peripheral settings and urban crafts-milieus. This means that therole of multimetality as part of an “urban conceptual package” is crucial to investigate. Such an approach will have the dual endsof properly understanding the craft and its societal implications, but also further the knowledge of the phenomenon of urbanityas a whole. Was multimetal smithing part of an “urban package” that spread into the rural landscape? Did the multimetality differbetween urban and rural crafts-milieus? How does early urbanity relate to the chronology of multimetal craftsmanship?This paper aims to counter these questions using examples from the survey of multimetal sites conducted within the thesisproject. A comparison between selected sites will be presented. The purpose of this is to evaluate the role of multimetality withinthe “urban package” and discuss the role of complex metalworking in the establishment of urban arenas of interaction in LateIron Age Scandinavia.
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| 3. |
- Svensson, Andreas
(författare)
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Tracing Multimetal Craftsmanship through Metallurgical debris : Open air workshops and multimetality in Late Iron Age Scandinavia
- 2016
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Ingår i: ; , s. 450-451
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Metallurgical debris is by far the most informative source material for studying the metal craftsmanship of the past. In comparison to the finished objects, which has attracted far more attention in archaeological research, debris material are more or less confined to the original workshop sites and hence provide direct evidence as to production volume and quality, site organization, artisanal skill and operational sequences within the various crafts.On many sites throughout the “Metal Ages” evidence of both iron smithing and the use of non-ferrous metals can be found. Traditionally, a clear division between these types of crafts has been enforced in site interpretation, separating sites into ferrous versus non-ferrous workshop sites chronologically or spatially. However, the presence of, for instance, smithing slag cakes with droplets of Cu-alloy within their matrix as well as casting debris of both metals and ceramic materials in forges and smithing hearths challenges this strict division.The thesis project “From Crucible and onto Anvil” started in 2015 and focuses on sites housing remains of multimetal craftsmanship dating primarily from 500-1000 AD. Within the project a comprehensive survey of sites will be used to evaluate the presence of multimetal craftsmanship in the landscape based first and foremost on the metallurgical debris documented on or collected from them. Sites in selected target areas will be subject to intra-site analysis of their metallurgical remains focusing on workshop organisation, the array of metalworking techniques utilized and the chronological variances of multimetal craftsmanship.A primary aim in the project is to elucidate the conceptual aspects of complex metalworking. The term multimetality is used to analytically frame all the societal and cosmological aspects of metal craftsmanship. Through this inclusive perspective both the metal craftsmanship and the metalworkers behind it are positioned within the overall socioeconomic framework. The metalworkers, their skills and competences as well as the products of their labour are viewed as dynamic actors in the landscape and on the arenas of political economy of the Late Iron Age.This paper aims to present a few examples of the surveyed multimetal sites, discuss workshop reconstruction through metallurgical debris and present preliminary interpretations of the sites internal organisation and placement within the cultural landscape. Many of the sites surveyed so far are interpreted as open air workshops with a relatively long continuity ranging several generations of metalworkers. How is this to be interpreted? Where the multimetal craftsmanship undertaken of temporary character? And if so, why did the metalworkers continue to use the same workshop site for generations?The concept of multimetality and the possibilities to capture this elusive, yet crucial, element of multimetality and the possibilities to capture this elusive, yet crucial, element of metal craftsmanship through the study of metallurgical debris will also be discussed in the paper. The surveyed sites and the reconstruction of their internal workshop organisation will serves as examples of how multimetality was manifested on the sites and in the landscape.
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| 4. |
- Svensson, Andreas
(författare)
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Tracing Multimetal Craftsmanship through Metallurgical debris : Open air workshops and multimetality in Late Iron Age Scandinavia
- 2016
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Ingår i: ; , s. 19-20
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Metallurgical debris is by far the most informative source material for studying the metal craftsmanship ofthe past. In comparison to the finished objects, which has attracted far more attention in archaeologicalresearch, debris material are more or less confined to the original workshop sites and hence provide directevidence as to production volume and quality, site organization, artisanal skill and operational sequenceswithin the various crafts.On many sites throughout the “Metal Ages” evidence of both iron smithing and the use of non-ferrousmetals can be found. Traditionally, a clear division between these types of crafts has been enforced in siteinterpretation, separating sites into ferrous versus non-ferrous workshop sites chronologically or spatially.However, the presence of, for instance, smithing slag cakes with droplets of Cu-alloy within their matrix aswell as casting debris of both metals and ceramic materials in forges and smithing hearths challenges thisstrict division.The thesis project “From Crucible and onto Anvil” started in 2015 and focuses on sites housing remains ofmultimetal craftsmanship dating primarily from 500-1000 AD. Within the project a comprehensive surveyof sites will be used to evaluate the presence of multimetal craftsmanship in the landscape based first andforemost on the metallurgical debris documented on or collected from them. Sites in selected target areaswill be subject to intra-site analysis of their metallurgical remains focusing on workshop organisation, thearray of metalworking techniques utilized and the chronological variances of multimetal craftsmanship.A primary aim in the project is to elucidate the conceptual aspects of complex metalworking. The termmultimetality is used to analytically frame all the societal and cosmological aspects of metal craftsmanship.Through this inclusive perspective both the metal craftsmanship and the metalworkers behind it arepositioned within the overall socioeconomic framework. The metalworkers, their skills and competences aswell as the products of their labour are viewed as dynamic actors in the landscape and on the arenas ofpolitical economy of the Late Iron Age.This paper aims to present a few examples of the surveyed multimetal sites, discuss workshopreconstruction through metallurgical debris and present preliminary interpretations of the sites internalorganisation and placement within the cultural landscape. Many of the sites surveyed so far are interpretedas open air workshops with a relatively long continuity ranging several generations of metalworkers. Howis this to be interpreted? Where the multimetal craftsmanship undertaken of temporary character? And if so,why did the metalworkers continue to use the same workshop site for generations?The concept of multimetality and the possibilities to capture this elusive, yet crucial, element of metalcraftsmanship through the study of metallurgical debris will also be discussed in the paper. The surveyedsites and the reconstruction of their internal workshop organisation will serves as examples of howmultimetality was manifested on the sites and in the landscape.
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