Identification of Fazael 2 (4000–3900 BCE) as first lost wax casting workshop in the Chalcolithic Southern Levant
Abstract Apart from many lost wax cast metal fragments, crucible fragments and several heated sediment nodules were found at the Chalcolithic site Fazael 2 (central Jordan Valley). Petrographic investigations on the heated sediment nodules revealed many features characteristic of the Chalcolithic So...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SpringerOpen
2023-09-01
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| Series: | Heritage Science |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40494-023-01029-9 |
| _version_ | 1797451809785118720 |
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| author | Thomas Rose Shay Bar Yotam Asscher Yuval Goren |
| author_facet | Thomas Rose Shay Bar Yotam Asscher Yuval Goren |
| author_sort | Thomas Rose |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Apart from many lost wax cast metal fragments, crucible fragments and several heated sediment nodules were found at the Chalcolithic site Fazael 2 (central Jordan Valley). Petrographic investigations on the heated sediment nodules revealed many features characteristic of the Chalcolithic Southern Levantine lost wax casting moulds. Heating temperatures were assessed using infrared spectroscopy, showing that casting did not vitrify the clay fraction in the moulds. Consequently, Fazael is the first identified Chalcolithic Southern Levant production site for lost wax cast metal items. These findings confirm the existence of a metallurgical tradition with lost wax casting in the Jordan Valley parallel to the unalloyed copper metallurgy in the Northern Negev. Moreover, crucibles and heated sediment nodules are made of local ferruginous loess, a material not mentioned in previous studies on lost wax casting mould fragments. Therefore, the existence of more than one such production site must be assumed. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T14:59:46Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-24ff7934f645422c9fee1b7d3eafad54 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2050-7445 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T14:59:46Z |
| publishDate | 2023-09-01 |
| publisher | SpringerOpen |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Heritage Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-24ff7934f645422c9fee1b7d3eafad542023-11-26T13:58:00ZengSpringerOpenHeritage Science2050-74452023-09-0111111510.1186/s40494-023-01029-9Identification of Fazael 2 (4000–3900 BCE) as first lost wax casting workshop in the Chalcolithic Southern LevantThomas Rose0Shay Bar1Yotam Asscher2Yuval Goren3Department of Archaeology, Ben-Gurion University of the NegevZinman Institute of Archaeology, University of HaifaArtifacts Treatment, Conservation & Laboratories, Israel Antiquities AuthorityDepartment of Archaeology, Ben-Gurion University of the NegevAbstract Apart from many lost wax cast metal fragments, crucible fragments and several heated sediment nodules were found at the Chalcolithic site Fazael 2 (central Jordan Valley). Petrographic investigations on the heated sediment nodules revealed many features characteristic of the Chalcolithic Southern Levantine lost wax casting moulds. Heating temperatures were assessed using infrared spectroscopy, showing that casting did not vitrify the clay fraction in the moulds. Consequently, Fazael is the first identified Chalcolithic Southern Levant production site for lost wax cast metal items. These findings confirm the existence of a metallurgical tradition with lost wax casting in the Jordan Valley parallel to the unalloyed copper metallurgy in the Northern Negev. Moreover, crucibles and heated sediment nodules are made of local ferruginous loess, a material not mentioned in previous studies on lost wax casting mould fragments. Therefore, the existence of more than one such production site must be assumed.https://doi.org/10.1186/s40494-023-01029-9CrucibleMouldLost wax castingPetrographyMetallurgyChalcolithic |
| spellingShingle | Thomas Rose Shay Bar Yotam Asscher Yuval Goren Identification of Fazael 2 (4000–3900 BCE) as first lost wax casting workshop in the Chalcolithic Southern Levant Heritage Science Crucible Mould Lost wax casting Petrography Metallurgy Chalcolithic |
| title | Identification of Fazael 2 (4000–3900 BCE) as first lost wax casting workshop in the Chalcolithic Southern Levant |
| title_full | Identification of Fazael 2 (4000–3900 BCE) as first lost wax casting workshop in the Chalcolithic Southern Levant |
| title_fullStr | Identification of Fazael 2 (4000–3900 BCE) as first lost wax casting workshop in the Chalcolithic Southern Levant |
| title_full_unstemmed | Identification of Fazael 2 (4000–3900 BCE) as first lost wax casting workshop in the Chalcolithic Southern Levant |
| title_short | Identification of Fazael 2 (4000–3900 BCE) as first lost wax casting workshop in the Chalcolithic Southern Levant |
| title_sort | identification of fazael 2 4000 3900 bce as first lost wax casting workshop in the chalcolithic southern levant |
| topic | Crucible Mould Lost wax casting Petrography Metallurgy Chalcolithic |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40494-023-01029-9 |
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