Rekonstruktion bronzezeitlicher Gießereitechniken mittels numerischer Simulation, gießtechnologischer Experimente und werkstofftechnischer Untersuchungen an Nachguss und Original

Abstract

Archaeological findings normally arouse our interest in well arranged exhibitions. But thorough knowledge about their technical properties and their production process can reveal hidden secrets about the handcraft, the living and the social evolution of our prehistoric ancestors. Unfortunately the finding situation as well as the state of conservation and restrictions due to aspects of preservation often only allow very strictly selected investigations and archaeological experiments. Thus, until now there are only few systematic and technically reliable studies within this field. At this point, in contrast to other prehistoric periods, our knowledge about the Bronze Age takes advantage of a big amount of preserved, mainly casted metal artefacts. This circumstance provides an unusually good bases for archaeological and technological research. Especially the local bronze objects testify a well developed metal handcraft. This thesis basically investigates the casting and forging technology of flanged and winged axes. Both were common in the Bronze Age. Further researches are treating the use and production of the casting molds, made from clay, stone and bronze. A final chapter covers the production of Bronze Aged sword handles, objects that in addition to their practical use were also worn for representative reasons. Surface characteristics like working traces or casting defects often give first useful hints about the production process of an original artefact. Further details are revealed by investigations on inner structures like the development of porosity and grain distribution. Here, with respect to the preservation of the cultural treasure, mostly non-destructive research methods are applied, for example the X-ray photography. Virtual casting or, strictly speaking, the computer aided calculation of the mold filling and the subsequent solidification process offers an uncomplicated tool to alter most technologically relevant casting parameters until the expected results are approximating the original's appearance. These parameters can be the casting time, the gating system, the mold material or the casting and mold temperature. Complementary casting experiments verify the results gained from the investigations on the objects and the simulations. Further more they give assessment to the fields that cannot be covered by simulations, such as molding and melting techniques and surface finishing. Using up to date scientific investigation methods of casting technology, these systematic investigations of the production of single artefacts could reveal hidden secrets and new aspects of Bronze Aged metal handcraft. Furthermore, in correlation with the results obtained by archaeological researches this knowledge also gives insight in the chronological and local developments of both, technology and society of the Bronze Age. Obviously our prehistoric ancestors already had good technological knowledge and readiness in sophisticated production processes, always aiming towards efficient solutions.

Cite this work

No public copy is stored for this record, so only the metadata is cited.

Stored only when both papers are in the corpus — 4 citations exist upstream.