Saturday, February 05, 2022

Recent Workings : 'Look at the BONES...'

 

'Look at all the BONES...' 

Addition of Animal bones into a Bloomery Iron Smelt
 
June 20, 2020

Smelt Team:
Neil Peterson, Rey Cogswell
Smelt Master : Darrell Markewitz

ABSTRACT

    Several recent papers have suggested the presence of small fragments of bone sometimes found within the debris fields related to bloomery iron smelting point to a possible 'ritual' practice, even so far as proposing a functional impact on iron bloom quality. How might the physical process within a complete iron making sequence effect the ability of bone to endure, and thus remain to be recovered archaeologically? A typical 'short shaft' furnace will be constructed and operated through to bloom extraction on a clean working surface. Both bone pieces and meat containing bone of several animal types will be added, before, during, at at the final stage of the smelting process. Afterwards, the debris field will be examined in detail to determine what remains of the bones.

 

This is another lengthy report, more a draft for a possible paper later :

Part One : Build and Smelt

 Additional : Smelt Images

    Part Two : Excavation and Evaluation


  " It is important that this experiment makes no attempts to suggest ‘why’ Norse smelt masters may have chosen to, or even if they ever did, add bone pieces into a working furnace. Extreme care must be taken in any attempt to apply ritual practice from other cultures, remote in time, geography, working methods, and especially radically differing world views.
    " The fairly consistent destruction of any bones added during charcoal charging does suggest that it is unlikely to recover archaeologically anything beyond the uncommon and smallest traces of added bones. The only likely situations where bone has much chance of leaving traces after being added to a functioning bloomery iron furnace :

  • Meat containing bone, but only if added at the very end of the smelting sequence.
  • Bones placed on the base layer of the furnace, before the smelt actually starts."

No comments:

 

February 15 - May 15, 2012 : Supported by a Crafts Projects - Creation and Development Grant

COPYRIGHT NOTICE - All posted text and images @ Darrell Markewitz.
No duplication, in whole or in part, is permitted without the author's expressed written permission.
For a detailed copyright statement : go HERE