Abstract
The investigation presented in this paper is a unique assemblage of ceramic casting molds discovered at one of the sites from the Bohai period (698–926) in the territory of the southern Russian Far East. The main research aim is to recognize probable traces of metal alloys cast in ceramic molds. Nondestructive pXRF and SEM-EDS methods were used as the research instruments for detecting the expected alloys’ chemical components. As a result, the elements Pb, Sn, Cu, and As were indicated at the surfaces of the molds’ cavities with evidence of carbonization caused by the casting process. Preliminarily, two groups of alloys were distinguished: lead-bearing alloys and lead-free alloys. Our new insights are in good accordance with the results of previous investigations on chemical compositions of bronzes from the Bohai period archaeological sites of the southern Russian Far East. In particular, data on the examination of ceramic molds confirm the conclusion that various kinds of copper alloys were known and used in the bronze casting craft of the Bohai period.
Highlights
Fired-clay metal-casting molds are generally recognized as being one of the earliest kinds of technical ceramics
The researchers noted that ceramic casting molds from the Kruglaya Dolina site were made of clay with a large amount of sand temper [11] (p. 71)
The inclusions recognized as quartz and feldspar seem to be the natural temper of the raw clay material
Summary
Fired-clay metal-casting molds are generally recognized as being one of the earliest kinds of technical ceramics. Their recovery from archaeological sites potentially provides important direct evidence for early metalworking practices. The examination of these artifacts focuses, at first, on their morphological and technological features and properties. Physicochemical methods applied to casting ceramic mold examination allow us to detect the presence of basic alloy elements but not their original concentrations. Recognizing the alloy traces in ceramic molds is interesting and important archaeological evidence of the metalworking history. This refers to cases when discovered molds are single instances of the evidence of old metal processing and metalworking activities for studied archaeological sites or cultural communities [7,9,10]
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