Casting Doubt: Economic and Technological Considerations Regarding Metal Casting in the Ancient World
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CASTING DOUBT: ECONOMIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS REGARDING METAL CASTING IN THE ANCIENT WORLD JACK. M. OGDEN
Independent Art Research Ltd, 2 D'Arblay Street, London W1V 3FD, UK
ABSTRACT The lost wax casting technique is almost impossible to use ifthe finished object must be of a specified weight or must utilize all of a given batch of metal. This basic fact helps to explain why Old World ancient gold jewelry, particularly of Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine origin, is almost always-hand wrought rather than cast. Similar considerations relate to the manufacture of copper-alloy weights or other objects which appear to be of pre-determined weight.
The study of the manufacture of archaeological and ancient art objects should attempt to explain why they were made by a particular method. Frequently the answer is obvious, but sometimes the ancient choice of technique can reflect practicalities or features of economics that are less readily apparent today. Consideration of ancient craft practices along these lines can shed light on problems concerning many manufacturing processes. For the purposes of this paper, metal casting is taken as a case in point. Lost wax, and related investment casting methods, are an ideal way to produce precise decorative metal objects. The use of casting in antiquity is taken for granted for a wide variety of metal objects ranging from weapons to jewelry. As Maryon noted 'Casting in metal is one of the oldest arts inthe world'.' However, casting was of limited use ifthe final volume or weight of the object was pre-defined. Such instances include objects where the finished casting must be of precisely pre-determined weight - such as weights and coins - and those objects made of a predetermined amount of metal without wastage - a typical example is jewelry made from gold supplied by the patron. Whereas counterfeit coins could be made in multiple moulds, real coins had to be produced to precise weights, and so were struck from blanks. The blanks themselves could be 2 made by melting together grains or clippings of metal totalling the required weight. The use of lost-wax casting for gold jewelry was not unknown in the ancient Old World but was far less widespread than has been stated. In many cases descriptions of ancient gold jewelry as cast are erroneous and result from the pitfall of expecting the ancients to have done things in the way that we would find expedient today. For example the famous Hellenistic Greek Nike gold earring inthe Museum of Fine Arts, Boston - showing the winged goddess in her chariot - has been described as 'a casting of extreme delicacy', 3 when, in fact, it was produced in typical Hellenistic Greek manner from
Mat. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc. Vol. 185. ,'1991 Materials Research Society
714
numerous components - actually well over 200 in number! In another instance, an elaborate Etruscan fibula of characteristic flimsy sheet gold, filigree and granulated construction, is refered to as made up from cast components. 4 Another authority has described not only an exa
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