#Brass fragments meaning full

Today, it calls itself the oldest town in Denmark. So how did they find this out?ĬHARLES BERGQUIST: So these researchers analyzed samples of metalworking tools and ingots and metal products, all from the coastal town of Ribe. You mean making swords and armor and horned helmets all for that pillaging that they do?ĬHARLES BERGQUIST: Yeah, no, they’re talking about developing the blends and alloys used in finer, molded cast metalwork like brass brooches and keys, and how over the course of just a few generations they’ve really advanced their metallurgical skills. Those are all common reactions, which is why I was interested to read this article in the journal Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences about the Vikings as really skilled metalworkers. Maybe warships, battles, pillaging?ĬHARLES BERGQUIST: Right, right. When I say Viking, what do you think of? And don’t say hats with horns. Hi, Charles.ĬHARLES BERGQUIST: Hey, John.

SciFri’s Charles Bergquist is here to tell us more. Plus, we imagine some possible and not so possible futures.īut first, new archeological research on the Vikings. A conversation about global food systems and protecting pollinators around the world. Later this hour– that imported coffee you’re drinking wasn’t just grown in Brazil.

#Brass fragments meaning full

Read the full study in Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences.Credit: Sydvestjyske Museer Copper oxides in the crucible slag. CE) featuring copper corrosion in their interiors. Credit: Sydvestjyske Museer Crucibles from Ribe (early Viking period, late 8th – early 9th c. CE) each crucible features a single handle. Credit: Sydvestjyske Museer Mould fragments with imprints that would be transferred into the molten metal (early Viking period, late 8th – early 9th c. Brooches, keys, arm ring and tweezers from Ribe. See more photos of Viking metalwork artifacts below. Vana Orfanou, an European Research Commission (ERC) postdoctoral research scientist In the School of Archaeology at University College, Dublin, and lead author on the paper, joins SciFri’s Charles Bergquist to discuss the state of the art in early Scandinavian brass making. They also adopted more heat-resistant clays for crucibles, and made extensive use of recycling throughout their work processes.

They found that while the Vikings began working in brass with a very experimental approach, they quickly standardized their production to use specific blends and alloys of metals.

Researchers analyzed samples of metal taken from a variety of metal objects found in Ribe, along with metalworking tools, crucibles, molds, and samples of metal slag. The paper details advances in the cast metalwork of objects, such as keys and ornamental brooches, that occurred in the trading city of Ribe, Denmark in the 8th and 9th century. But new research, published in the journal Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, shows they also had other, calmer skills. Vikings are often associated with scenes of boats and fiercely-pitched battles. An oval brooch from the early Viking period (early 9th c.