Jiří Kmošek

Ginalski-type E5 button spurs made from a Cu alloy are a characteristic attribute of the Middle Roman period in barbarian Europe. The find of part of a mould made of non-ferrous metal at the Luleč site in the district of Vyškov, Czech Republic, provided key evidence for explaining the issue of their production. The discovery of this unique artefact showed that based on current knowledge, the spurs made from a Cu alloy were also produced in the Middle Danube region and not only in Northeast Europe as had previously been thought.

Mařín hillfort and its surroundings in the Roman period.  The concentration of finds from the Roman period, including militaria, together with the configuration of the terrain with its relicts of extinct roads in the form of cuttings in the hilly landscape west of Jevíčko is evidence of the existence of a road in the Roman period, the embouchure of which was controlled by a short-term Roman camp. Artefacts and the strategic situation of Hradište hill with its wide visual surveillance enable us to form the hypothesis of a possible forward guard point controlled by a Roman garrison in this place. The finds could as well represent lost items, or evidence of the ritual behaviour of Barbarians.

Studie představuje příspěvek k poznání procesu výroby cínového bronzu v době bronzové na základě výpovědi kovových slitků. Jedná se o doklady metalurgické aktivity jak ve formě materiálových polotovarů/ingotů, tak odpadu vznikajícím při výrobní činnosti. Kovové slitky se vyskytují po většinu doby bronzové v různých kontextech. Mají rozmanitou povahu, funkci a původ. Kromě materiálových analýz nebyla dosud slitkům původem z Čech věnována komplexní systematická pozornost, a to zejména z hlediska jejich podrobné deskripce a z ní vyplývajících dat k posouzení druhu produktů. Výzkum se zaměřil na studium formálních vlastností slitků, kategorií hutnických a slévačských produktů v rámci operačního řetězce metalurgie bronzu a vzorců organizačního a technologického zacházení v rámci různého prostoru a času. Využity a komparovány byly jak klasické archeologické metody dokumentace, tak přírodovědné analytické metody.

The study contributes to knowledge of the Bronze Age tin bronze production process based on the testimony of metal raw materials. This concerns evidence of metallurgical activities both in the form of semi-finished products/ingots and waste generated during production activities. Metal raw materials of a diverse nature, function and provenance occur in various contexts throughout most of the Bronze Age. Besides material analyses, metal raw materials originating in Bohemia have not yet received comprehensive systematic attention, especially in terms of their detailed description and the resulting data to assess types of products. The research focused on a study of the formal properties of metal raw materials, categories of smelting and casting products within the operational chain of bronze metallurgy and patterns of organisational and technological treatment in various space and time contexts. Both classical archaeological methods of documentation and scientific analytical methods were used and compared.

Article from "Abusir and Saqqara in the year 2020" proceedings

The main aim of this paper is to report preliminary results of the archaeometallurgical study of selected samples of Old Kingdom artefacts (Fourth to Sixth Dynasty, ca. 2600–2180 BC) excavated at the Egyptian site of Abusir by the Czech Institute of Egyptology. Although the possibilities of the use of archaeometallurgical methods are limited in contemporary Egypt, some can be applied. The samples were studied using the methods of metallography/optical microscopy and (portable) X-ray fluorescence spectrometry in the laboratory of the French Institute of Oriental Archaeology (IFAO), and the Archaeometry Department in Cairo. Thanks to the present project, the social framework of the Old Kingdom copper artefacts will be supplemented for the first time with data about the physical properties and chemical composition of the objects themselves. While the analyses brought largely expected results of the composition of most model tools, miniature vessels and an altar made of copper with traces of arsenic, there are also some surprises including the first possible Old Kingdom arsenical copper ingot. The paper also contains a brief overview of previous analytical work on metals from Abusir started by Friedrich Rathgen, the founder of conservation science, in the early 20th century.

Keywords: Old Kingdom – Abusir – copper metallurgy – arsenical copper – X-ray fluorescence – metallography – ingot

This study deals with the remains of metal objects from the settlement of workers living and labouring at the Egyptian site of Giza in the reigns of Dynasty 4 Kings Khufu and Khafra (c. 2500–2450 BCE). It provides the first detailed set of data on copper tools of the craftspersons working with wood, limestone, textile, etc., focusing on the major and trace element analyses, lead isotopes and microstructural description. Arsenical copper is again confirmed as a material practically used in the Old Kingdom, with arsenopyrite from Eastern Desert proposed as a source of arsenic. The CuAgAs needle 20966 has similar lead isotopes as two pieces of Predynastic Egyptian metalwork and litharge from late Uruk site Habuba Kabira (Syria), being probably a recycled specimen of earlier material connected to silver production. With 15 objects analysed in detail, it is for now the largest Old Kingdom corpus of metal objects from the settlement context.

The Egyptian Museum of the University of Leipzig has the largest university collection of ancient Egyptian artefacts in Germany. It includes important objects from the excavations of the most prolific excavator among the museum’s curators, Georg Steindorff, at the sites of Abusir, Aniba, and Giza, complemented by objects from Abydos, Thebes, and Kerma. The catalogue represents the results of an interdisciplinary project by Egyptologist and archaeologist Martin Odler, archaeometalurgist Jiří Kmošek and other participating researchers. A selection of 86 artefacts was analysed using a range of archaeometallurgical methods (X-ray fluorescence; metallography; neutron activation analysis; lead isotope analysis), providing a diachronic sample of Bronze Age Egyptian copper alloy metalwork from Dynasty 1 to Dynasty 19.

Besides currently popular focus on the ore provenance, the selection of the applied methods aimed also at the description of practical physical properties of the objects. The question of differences between full-size functional artefacts and models is addressed, as is the problem of 'imports' and their ethnic interpretation. The analyses brought many unexpected results to light, the most surprising being a bowl (ÄMUL 2162) made of arsenical copper high in nickel, which has parallels in Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age Anatolia, and was featured in an article in the Journal of Archaeological Science in 2018. The corpus presented here involves the largest analysed metalwork assemblage from the Nubian C-Group and the Egyptian New Kingdom, and it addresses the issue of the use of local Nubian ore sources versus the sources of copper from Cyprus and elsewhere.

We present the results of a complex archaeometric study of Late Bronze Age copper ingots from the Staré Hodějovice hoard (South Bohemia). In order to understand the origin of the copper and describe the metallurgical process, we use modern analytical methods (metallography analyses, major/trace element and lead isotope analyses) to describe the samples. Within this study, a representative dataset of trace element composition and lead isotope ratios of non-alloyed and non-recycled corpus of copper ingots from the Late Bronze Age was created. We assume that most of the ingots were not altered by alloying, mixing or recycling. Based on lead isotope ratios and major/trace element composition, we suppose that the origin of the copper could be mostly Alpine ores from the Trentino and Mitterberg regions and possibly the Valais region. By this study, it was proved that copper smelted by a matte smelting process was transported in the form of flat or plano-convex ingots from multiple sources to South Bohemia, where it was subsequently refined and alloyed. Obtained analytical results refute the idea of prevailing copper recycling in the Late Bronze Age.

An archaeological situation documented in 2016 in the cadastral territory of Boršov (Svitavy district, Pardubice Region, Czech Republic)
contained more than 70 metal artefacts scattered mostly over an area of 5 x 2 m. The finds were made with the use of metal detectors
in an otherwise unsettled space in close proximity to defunct roads crossing a sharp local terrain fault. The finds were concentrated
on hilly terrain between two slight watercourses. The collection is composed mainly of fragments of intentionally broken artefacts
made from a copper alloy, castings of the mouth of casting channels, ingots, as well as craft tools, coins, a fragment of a bronze
mould, fibula parts, etc. The assemblage dates to the end of the Marcomannic Wars or the period immediately following them and
documents a close relationship with the processing of non-ferrous metals. The assemblage also contains antiques, especially in the
form of a La Tène belt hook.

An assemblage of ancient Egyptian metalwork from the Early Dynastic and Old Kingdom periods, currently in the Egyptian Museum of Leipzig University (Germany), has been studied using a wide range of available archaeometallurgical methods. The 3rd millennium BC Egyptian copper metallurgy is known only superficially until now. The data are interpreted in the framework of the known and reconstructed distribution networks of ancient Egyptian society. The production technology of the objects has been examined. The lead isotope analyses have made it possible to discuss the origin of the ore used for the production of Old Kingdom metalwork for the first time. A rather surprising presence in the Early Dynastic assemblage of object similar in isotopic ratios to Anatolian Early Bronze Age metalwork is discussed.

In 2014–2015 a metal detetor survey at the multi-period settlement of Černčice yielded an interesting set of finds dating from the early to the beginning of the late Roman period (B1–B2/C1–C1). A semi-finished Almgren 137 type fibula and a Raddatz O type strap end stand out among the finds. These objects are the first of their kind in eastern Bohemia. Unfortunately, the find circumstances only have a limited informative value. We are still able to say that they probably indicate possible on-site manufacture of these objects. The settlement itself is one of the few pieces of evidence for occupation of the Náchod region during the Roman period.

Eastern Bohemia – Roman period – settlement – imports – fibulae – coins – strap ends – semi-finished product – processing of non-ferrous metals

Polykulturelle Siedlung in Černčice (Bez. Náchod, Tschechien) gab bei der Metalldetektorprospektion in den Jahren 2014–2015 eine interessante Kollektion der Funde aus der älteren und aus dem Anfang der jüngeren römischen Kaiserzeit. Die Datierung der Siedlung in die Zeitspanne der Stufen B1–B2/C1 bis C1, mit dem Schwerpunkt der Besiedlung im 2. Jahrhundert, ist vor allem durch eine Kollektion der barbarischen (Abb. 2:1, 5, 6, 8) und provinziellen Fibeln (Abb. 2:2–4, 7, 9) gestützt. Diese Datierung unterstützen ebenfalls Funde der Denare der Kaiser Traian (98–117) und Hadrian (117–138); (Abb. 4). Über übliches Inventar der Funde gehen ein Halbprodukt der Fibel vom Typ Almgren
137 (Abb. 2:8, 5:1) und eine Riemenzunge vom Typ Raddatz, Gruppe O (Abb. 3:1, 5:2) hinaus. Diese Funde sind die ersten Exemplare von ihrer Art im Ostböhmen. Ihre Fundumstände haben leider nur begrenzte Aussagekraft. Man muss damit also wie mit den Funden der „4. Kategorie Anzeichen einer Verarbeitung“ im Sinne von H. U. Voss (Voss – Hammer – Lutz eds. 1999, 131–132, Tab. 4) kritisch arbeiten. Unbestreitbare Belege der Herstellung auf der Fundstelle müsste eine archäologische Ausgrabung bestätigen. Chronologische Einreihung beider Zwischenprodukte entspricht dem Vorkommen ähnlicher Aktivitäten im mittleren Donauraum (dazu ausführlicher Bazovský 2009; Tejral 2015b). Sie stellen aber ein Indiz dar, das die Herstelung dieser Gegenstände auf der Fundstelle wahrscheinlich macht. Interessant ist auch die Elementzusammensetzung des Fibel- und Riemenzungehalbprodukts sowie einer weiteren vollendeten Riemenzunge (Tab. 2). Interessante Erkenntnis stellt der Gehalt des Zinks (11,20 %) im Fall der Riemenzunge vom Typ Raddatz O4 (Abb. 3:2) dar. Der Gehalt des Zinks von 5 bis 28 (bzw. 30) % gehört nämlich zu den Charakteristika des römischen Messings (Droberjar – Frána 2004, 442). Dieses Element ist in niedrigerer Menge auch im Material des Halbprodukts der Kniefibel (4,61 %; Abb. 2:8) und des Halbprodukts der Riemenzunge (0,19 %; Abb. 3:1) vertreten. Wir dürfen der Meinung sein, dass vor allem zur Herstellung der Riemenzunge (Abb. 3:2) konnte römisches Messing, sog. aurichalkum, benutzt werden. Diese Tatsache könnte so indirekt die Distribution der römischen Messingsgegenstände (Münzen, römischer Erzeugnisse) ins ostböhmische Elbegebiet und ihre hypothetische lokale Verarbeitung bestätigen. Die Siedlung selbst ist ein der wenigen Belege der römerzeitlichen Besiedlung in der Náchod-Region. Diese knüpft sich an das Mettau-Flussgebiet (Abb. 6:1).

The article deals with isolated finds of fibulae dating from the 2nd to 4th centuries made in the cadastral area of Třebechovice pod Orebem. The earlier specimen is a derivative of A 132 type fibulae. The other fibula belongs to Barbarian fibulae with a knob on the bow. Both fibulae represent one of the few pieces of evidence for so far undocumented activities taking place in the area between the eastern
edge of the city of Hradec Králové and Třebechovice pod Orebem during the Roman period.

Roman period – eastern Bohemia – metal detector survey – knee-shaped fibula – fibula with a knob on the bow – SEM/EDS analýza

The remains of a settlement dating from the late Roman period were discovered thanks to several rescue excavations and contributed to the portrayal of the situation in the borderland between Bohemia and Moravia during the Roman period. Coarse local pottery is dominant in the recovered material, but wheel-turned tableware of Barbarian provenance is also documented. Another surprise was the presence of Roman imports (a glass token, a fragment of a bronze vessel).

A bronze hoard was found with the help of a metal detector in the cadastral area of Lhota u Chroustovic (Pardubice Region, Czech Republic). The find could partly be documented in situ, however, the hoard was heavily disturbed by deep ploughing. Four sickles, a socketed axe and a piece of a bronze ingot date the hoard to HA2 or rather to HB1.

The Old Kingdom of Egypt (Dynasties 4–6, c. 2600–2180 BC) is famous as a period of the builders of the largest Egyptian pyramids. It is generally accepted that the evidence on the use of copper alloy tools from this era is meagre. Martin Odler gathers the textual, iconographic and palaeographic evidence and examines Old Kingdom artefacts in order to revise this view on the use of copper alloy tools and model tools. Furthermore, he provides updated definitions of tool classes and tool kits, together with the context of their use. Besides rare specimens of full-size tools, the largest corpora of the material have been preserved in the form of model tools in the burial equipment of the Old Kingdom elite and were most probably symbols of their power to commission and fund craftwork. Moreover, the size and elaboration of the model tools were probably connected to the social status of the buried persons. The long-standing division in the Egyptological literature between full-size tools and model tools is questioned. The ancient sources also enable to show that the preservation of material culture from the Old Kingdom was largely dependent on a conscious selection made within the past culture, with completely different settlement and funerary contexts and a conspicuous absence of weapons. The volume is completed by co-authored case studies on archaeometallurgy of selected Old Kingdom artefacts in the collection of the Egyptian Museum of Leipzig University, on morphometry of Old Kingdom adze blades and on the finds of stone and ceramic vessels associated with the findings of so-called Old Kingdom model tools.

The book can be purchased here: http://www.archaeopress.com/Public/displayProductDetail.asp?id=%7BDED38ACF-A714-4454-8448-4C8C91A92F43%7D

Archaeometallurgical study of copper alloy tools and model tools from the Old Kingdom necropolis at Giza, deposited in the Egyptian Museum – Georg Steindorff – of Leipzig University. The case study is a part of the monograph "Old Kingdom Tools and Model Tools" written by Martin Odler. The book can be purchased here: http://www.archaeopress.com/Public/displayProductDetail.asp?id=%7BDED38ACF-A714-4454-8448-4C8C91A92F43%7D

An article is a preliminary report of the first results of an interdisciplinary project Early copper metalurgy in Ancient Egypt – a case study of the material from Ägyptisches Museum – Georg Steindorff – der Universität Leipzig, in cooperation of the Czech Institute of Egyptology, Faculty of Arts, Charles University in Prague, Institute of Chemistry and Technology in Prague and Egyptian Museum in Leipzig. Project is focused on the analysis of a selected corpus of the artifacts from the Ancient Egyptian and Nubian sites (Fig. 1). The analyzed material was found in greatest part at the Egyptian sites Abusir, Abydos and Giza and at the Nubian site Aniba (Fig. 2). The artifacts represent an outline of the development of Ancient Egyptian metallurgy in more than one and half millennium, from the Dynasty 1 (ca. 3100 – 2900 BC) until almost the end of the New Kingdom (ca. 1200 BC). Selected corpus of the artifacts has been documented by X-ray radiography and computer tomography this year, at the Institute of mineralogy, crystallography and material science of the Leipzig University. 86 artifacts were then sampled and was obtained almost 100 samples.
Results of the metallography and SEM/EDS analysis of five selected artefacts, representing five different chronological stages of the corpus, are discussed in the article (Table 1). The first one is a Dynasty 1 vessel from Abusir South (ÄMUL 2162; Fig. 3). The bowl was hammered out of copper sheet, with high contents of Ni, As and Fe. Non-metallic admixtures of copper sulfides are present in the inner structure, highly deformed by the hammering. Old Kingdom vessel from Giza was made of arsenical copper, hammered and annealed (ÄMUL 2169; Figs. 4–5). Lugged and decorated Middle Kingdom axe blade was hammered and annealed, and made of copper with admixtures of As, Fe and S (ÄMUL 3952; Fig. 6). Tweezers from C-Group tumulus N83 at Aniba were made by cold hammering of arsenical copper, but with rather surprising 1.0% of tin (ÄMUL 4647; Figs. 7–8). Middle part of an early Dynasty 18 dagger was cast from a tin bronze alloy (ÄMUL 2153; Figs. 9 – 10).
The poster with the analysis of XRF results was presented at 41st International Symposium on Archaeometry at Kalamata (Greece) and received honorable mention from The Society for Archaeological Sciences in the Best Student Poster competition (Kmošek – Odler et al. 2016). All samples will be submitted to the neutron activation analysis and selected corpus will be also analysed for the lead isotope ratios.

The excavations of Czech Institute of Egyptology of the temple at Usli (Bárta et al. 2013b) have brought to light several bronze fragments (Figs. 1-2), which have been found in secondary position among the blocks of the stone floor of temple. Fragments A and B were examined after archaeological documentation by metallographic section and analysed by SEM–EDS. Fragment A is interpreted as a bronze plaque from a foundation deposit, made of leaded bronze with traces of arsenic, cast without further processing (Figs. 4–6, Table 1). Fragment B is a fragment of chisel, made of tin bronze with 0.7 % Pb and 0.1 % P, after casting annealed (Figs. 7–8, Table 1). The chisel might have been part of the foundation deposit as well; tools occurred in foundation deposits since Dynasty 11 and metal/bronze plaques since Dynasty 19 (Weinstein 1973). Analogies of the artefacts have been published by Cowell from Nuri (1997) and from New Kingdom contexts e. g. by Schoske (2007). Current state of the research does not enable to decide, whether the fragments could be dated to the New Kingdom or Napatan Period.

The complex detailed analysis and publication of archaeological and anthropological data and the results of numerous science analyses of archaeological and anthropological material (palaeopathology, epigenetics, isotope analysis, 14C, analyses of metal, amber, stone tools, Sr, O, C and N isotopy etc.) form an essential foundation of the first-rate, comprehensively-conceived research of prehistoric populations. The complex analysis of all skeletons using a broad spectrum of scientific analyses and the possibility of comparison with the results of analyses of material culture are extraordinary in the European context. This enables us, for example, to identify groups of graves/skeletons at the cemetery with similar qualities that could indicate the existence of groups of buried individuals with closer ties (family, interest groups, etc.), while also allowing us to study the manifestations of their behaviour, personal and group relations, health condition and dietary habits etc.

This book is the first in the series of an edition of an extensive collection of manuscripts written by the farmer Josef Žrout (1883–1964), who lived in the village of Trstěnice, in the Litomyšl region, traditionally seen as the boundary between Bohemia and Moravia. Over the first half of the 20th century, Žrout successfully compiled a remarkable collection of information both by taking excerpts from archival materials and by recording his own recollections. The manuscripts, still held by his family members, can be seen as chronicles.

The Louvre Museum acquired a collection of about 300 items in 2010, mainly ferrous archaeological objects coming from a forgotten French collection - the Bessonneau Collection. These little known objects from the 6th century BC come from a Picenian necropolis near Etruria (Marche, Italy). Among these objects, the fibula is particularly remarkable for its shape, size, craftwork and for its decorations in the form of bronze inlays. The present paper provides a new insight into previously unknown technological, structural and corrosion aspects of this fibula, using X-ray radiography, electron scanning microscopy, metallographic analysis and proton-induced X-ray emission analysis available at the C2RMF. During conservation, a wide variety of 3D technologies were used in order to increase the quality and informative value of the restoration documentation. Laser scanning was used at different steps of the restoration process. Great attention was given to the evolution of the object’s shape during its restoration as well as its 3D reconstruction and 3D printing.

Publikace prezentuje aktuální výsledky mezioborových badatelských aktivit, zaměřených na průzkum skupiny vybraných lidových staveb českomoravského pomezí. Společným cílem souboru statí je představit různé metody efektivního výzkumu a dokumentace architektonických památek, které jsou předpokladem pro zodpovědné zhodnocení staveb a základem pro jejich důslednou obnovu.
The publication presents the latest results of interdisciplinary research activities focused a group of selected vernacular buildings from the region of the Bohemian-Moravian Borderland. The common aim of the complex of texts is to present various methods of efficient research and documentation of architectonic monuments as a precondition for responsible assessment of the buildings and a basis for their thorough renovation.
Diese Publikation präsentiert aktuelle Ergebnisse interdisziplinärer Forschungsaktivitäten, die auf die Untersuchung von einer Gruppe ausgewählter Bauten im ländlichen Stil in der böhmisch-mährischen Grenzregion fokussieren. Das gemeinsame Ziel aller Artikel ist, dass unterschiedliche Methoden effektiver Untersuchung und Bestandsaufnahme von architektonischen Denkmälern vorgestellt werden, welche die Voraussetzung für eine verantwortliche Auswertung der Bauten, sowie ein Fundament für ihre konsequente Erneuerung, sind.

Publikace je jedním z výstupů projektu Metodika záchrany a prezentace lidového kulturního dědictví Českomoravského pomezí. Jeho úkolem je vytvořit funkční model, který naznačí možnosti, jakými mohou být v budoucnu obnovovány, chráněny a prezentovány unikátní doklady kulturního dědictví venkova. Projekt je realizován Spolkem archaických nadšenců ve spolupráci s odborníky ze Švýcarského muzea v přírodě Ballenberg a Metodického centra pro muzea v přírodě při Valašském muzeu v přírodě v Rožnově pod Radhoštěm. Problematice se věnoval také odborný seminář Transfer a rekonstrukce památek lidové architektury, který se uskutečnil v listopadu roku 2015 v Trstěnici u Litomyšle.
The publication is one of the outputs of the project The Methodology of Rescue and Presentation of the Vernacular Cultural Heritage of the Bohemian-Moravian Borderland. Its objective is to create a functional model that will suggest the possibilities of sustainable renewal, protection and presentation of unique documents of vernacular cultural heritage in the future. The project is implemented by the Association of Archaic Enthusiasts in cooperation with experts from the Ballenberg Swiss Open-Air Museum and the Open-Air Museum Methodology Centre of the Wallachian Open Air Museum in Rožnov pod Radhoštěm. The published studies have been presented along with other topics within the framework of the professional workshop The Transfer and Reconstruction of Vernacular Architecture Monuments, which took place in Trstěnice near Litomyšl in November 2015.
Die Publikation stellt eines der Resultate des Projekts Methodik der Erhaltung und Präsentation des Volksgutes in der böhmisch-mährischen Grenzregion (Metodika záchrany a prezentace lidového kulturního dědictví Českomoravského pomezí) dar. Sein Ziel ist es, ein funktionierendes Modell zu entwerfen, welches Möglichkeiten aufzeigt, wie künftig mittels nachhaltiger Modi Werke des kulturellen Volksgutes erneuert, geschützt und präsentiert werden können. Das Projekt wird durch den Bund der Freunde des Archaischen realisiert, in Zusammenarbeit mit den Fachleuten aus dem schweizerischen Freilichtmuseum in Ballenberg und dem Methodischen Zentrum für Freilichtmuseen beim Walachischen Freilichtmuseum in Rosenau (Metodické centrum pro muzea v přírodě při Valašském muzeu v přírodě v Rožnově pod Radhoštěm). Die abgedruckten Studien wurden zusammen mit anderen Themen im Fachseminar Transferierung und Rekonstruktion von Bauwerken der ländlichen Architektur (Transfer a rekonstrukce památek lidové architektury) präsentiert, welches im November 2015 in Trstěnice nahe Litomyšl (Leitomischl) stattfand.

Památky lidového stavitelství jsou důležitým pramenem poznání života našich předků, dokladem jejich umu i potenciálu, tvoří význačný krajinotvorný bod dnešní zástavby a neopominutelnou součást životního prostředí. Hodnota venkovského stavitelství i akutní potřeba jeho ochrany byla již nesčetněkrát popsána a diskutována odbornou i laickou veřejností. Řešeny byly v tomto kontextu zejména otázky bezprostřední fyzické záchrany památek. Definování jejich budoucího využití je však takřka stejně podstatné jako samotný záměr obnovy. Vědomí této skutečnosti stojí za vznikem předkládané publikace, která se zaměřuje, stejně jako předchozí dva díly řady, převážně na teritorium českomoravského pomezí.
The monuments of vernacular architecture are an important source of knowledge of the life of our ancestors, a document of their skills and potential, an important landscape-forming point in today’s built-up areas and a significant part of the environment. The value of rural architecture and the acute need of its protection have been described and discussed countless times by the professional and lay public alike. The issues of the immediate physical rescue of the monuments have been addressed above all in this context. However, the definition of their future use is nearly as important as the intention of the renovation itself. The awareness of this fact stands behind the creation of the present publication which, like the previous two parts of the series, focuses above all on the territory of the Bohemian-Moravian Borderland.
Denkmäler bäuerlicher Architektur stellen eine wichtige Quelle für die Erkenntnis des Lebens unserer Vorfahren und einen Beweis ihres Könnens sowie Potentials dar, sie bilden einen bedeutsamen, die Landschaft formierenden Punkt heutiger Bebauung und einen beachtlichen Bestandteil der Umwelt. Der Wert der bäuerlichen Architektur und das akute Bedürfnis ihres Schutzes wurden schon unzählige Male sowohl seitens der Fach- als auch der Laienöffentlichkeit beschrieben und diskutiert. In diesem Kontext wurde vor allem die Problematik der unmittelbaren physischen Rettung eines Denkmals besprochen. Dass aber seine zukünftige Nutzung definiert wird, ist jedoch fast genauso wichtig wie das Erneuerungsvorhaben selbst. Das Bewusstsein für diese Tatsache steht hinter der Entstehung des vorliegenden Bandes, welcher sich, ebenso wie die vorigen beiden Publikationen aus dieser Reihe, überwiegend auf das Territorium der böhmisch-mährischen Grenzregion konzentriert.

The conception of a sustainable care and presentation of vernacular cultural heritage of the Bohemian- Moravian Borderland is part of a broader platform of activities aimed at laying out the possibilities of future renewal, use, protection and presentation of unique examples of cultural heritage within the region. The objective of the project Protection and Presentation of Vernacular Cultural Heritage of the Bohemian-Moravian Borderland, a part of which is presented within the present conception, is to create functional models for the complex of the above-mentioned activities.

The conception presented deals with a detailed analysis of the issues concerning the transfer and building reconstruction of the timbered polygonal barn of the farmstead No. 97 in Čistá. The aim of the conception is to define a detailed procedure of individual working operations that need to be performed within the rescue of a valuable but seriously endangered rural building. The present conception describes the preparatory works in detail, based on the creation of the necessary drawing documentation for the disassembly and renovation of the building. The methodology of marking and of the subsequent disassembly of the building constructions is described further in the text and in the attached drawings. The final part of the conception has the form of an architectural study dealing in detail with the issues of the search for a new location for the building from the viewpoints of urbanism, assessment of the historical authenticity of the restored building and preparation of an architectural conception of the restoration of the building in the context of its future use. At the time of the writing of the conception, the transfer of the barn had been completed and the first phase of its reconstruction in the new location on premises of the farmstead No. 56 in Trstěnice was taking place.

An assemblage of ancient Egyptian metalwork from the Early Dynastic and Old Kingdom periods, currently in the Egyptian Museum of Leipzig University (Germany), has been studied using a wide range of available archaeometallurgical methods. The 3rd millennium BC Egyptian copper metallurgy is known only superficially until now. The data are interpreted in the framework of the known and reconstructed distribution networks of ancient Egyptian society. The production technology of the objects has been examined. The lead isotope analyses have made it possible to discuss the origin of the ore used for the production of Old Kingdom metalwork for the first time. A rather surprising presence in the Early Dynastic assemblage of object similar in isotopic ratios to Anatolian Early Bronze Age metalwork is discussed.

This poster presents an archaeometallurgical study of a corpus of copper alloy artefacts found at ancient Egyptian sites currently deposited in the collection of Ägyptisches Museum – Georg Steindorff – der Universität Leipzig. The examined artifacts are dated to the 3rd  and 2nd millennium BC. The analyzed set of 86 artefacts covers different types such as full-size vessels, full-size tools and their models, mirrors, razors and tweezers,. They have been found in Early Dynastic tombs of the cemetery of Abusir; in the tomb of the last king of the Second Dynasty, Khasekhemwy, at Abydos; in a cemetery of Fifth and Sixth Dynasty officials at Giza (some results discussed in Kmošek and Odler et al. 2016b), and in a C-Group and New Kingdom cemetery at Aniba in Nubia. The artefacts thus offer a diachronic overview of the use of copper alloys throughout the Egyptian Bronze Age.
A detailed technical analysis has been carried out with the aim to obtain or specify information about the chemical or structural composition of the artefacts using wide range of analytical techniques. Selected artefacts have been studied by metallographic methods in combination with micro hardness tests and XRD. Chemical composition analyses were carried out by the ED-XRF, SEM/EDS and NAA methods (preliminary results presented at ISA two years ago: Kmošek and Odler et al. 2016b). Lead isotope analyses were carried out using a MC-ICP-MS spectrometer in order to better understand the geographic provenance of the copper ores used. Newly acquired analytical data from NAA and MC-ICP-MS analysis were compared with available results of trace elements composition of copper alloy artefacts and lead isotope ratios of copper and lead ores from different sites of Eastern desert, Sinai, Saudi Arabian Shield, Anatolia, Oman and Cyprus. All obtained analytical and archaeological data have been statistically evaluated in order to contribute to more detailed and accurate knowledge of metal production techniques and materials used in Bronze Age Egyptian metallurgy. The results of the study illustrate rich cultural interactions between Egypt and the Near East in the 3rd and 2nd millennium BC.

Kmošek, J., Odler, M., Jamborová, T., Msallamová, S., S̆álková, K., Kmoníčková, M., 2016a. Archaeometallurgical study of copper alloy tools and model tools from the Old Kingdom necropolis at Giza, in: Old Kingdom Copper Tools and Model Tools, Archaeopress Egyptology. Archaeopress, Oxford, pp. 238–248.
Kmošek, J., Odler, M., Jamborová, T., Šálková, K., Kmoníčková, M., Msallamová, S., 2016b. Diachronic changes of ancient Egyptian and Nubian metallurgy. Case study of material from the Egyptian Museum of Leipzig University (poster). Presented at the 41st International Symposium on Archaeometry, Kalamata (GRE).

This paper presents an archaeometric and archaeological study of a set of copper ingots from the site Nove Hodejovice located in southern Bohemia. The artefacts were discovered in 2014 at the building site of new family houses. Unfortunately, the hoard was discovered in a secondary position, in the soil that had been removed from the building site. The hoard consists of 17 bronze artefacts (fragments of pins, sickles, knives, etc.) as well as more than 200 ingots; the total weight of the hoard is about 30 kg. Some artefacts date the hoard with certainty to the early Urnfield Period, i.e. the thirteenth to twelfth century BC (Reinecke-stage Br D – Ha A1).
Selected ingots and lumps have been studied by metallographical methods in combination with an SEM/EDS analysis in order to identify intermetallic phases and non-metallic inclusions. The chemical composition of the whole set of artefacts was analysed by the SEM/EDS method. The analyses of the stable lead isotope ratios by MC-ICP-MS and of the trace elements composition by NAA were used for a discussion of the provenance of selected artefacts.
Preliminary results show that the analyzed set is represented mostly by unrefined or slightly refined and unalloyed copper ingots and lumps in the form of fragments. The purity of copper varies between 65.2 and 99.6 %, with an average value of 94.85 %. The analysis of lead isotope ratios has discovered that the copper material was likely transported to southern Bohemia from ore deposits located in the Ore Mountains (Erzgebirge), from the Eastern Alps and from an unspecified area probably situated in the territory of today’s Czech Republic. Lead in the form of a small ingot was most probably made of lead ore coming from the Ore Mountains. The subsequent refining, alloying and casting of the resulting alloy took place in southern Bohemia.

Ägyptisches Museum der Universität Leipzig has in its collection material from two important Early Dynastic sites. Early Dynastic cemetery at Abusir was partially excavated by Georg Steindorff in 1910. Yet it entered the literature as “Bonnet cemetery”, because Hans Bonnet (1928) published later the material. A part of the material was destroyed during the Second World War; only fragments are left from one of the earliest mirrors known from ancient Egypt (ÄMUL 2177). In better state of preservation are two bowls (ÄMUL 2160, ÄMUL 2162). The third vessel (bowl or lid) has well preserved metal core (ÄMUL 2162). The museum collection was then enriched by a selection of model tools from the deposit found by Flinders Petrie in the tomb of the last king of Dynasty 2, Khasekhemwy (ÄMUL 2211 – ÄMUL 2223). Ten model tools, needles, axe, adze, harpoon and chisel, were recently published by Robert Kuhn (2011), they have been so far not analysed for their chemical composition.

The listed artefacts were sampled in the cooperative projects of the museum with the University of Chemistry and Technology and Czech Institute of Egyptology in Prague. Selected artefacts were X-rayed, in order to examine their internal structure. The samples were submitted to X-ray fluorescence, neutron activation analysis and lead isotope analysis. The poster offers a discussion of the results, with a special attention to a bowl ÄMUL 2162 with unusually high content of nickel.


References

Bonnet, H. 1928. Ein frühgeschichtliches Gräberfeld bei Abusir. Leipzig, Hinrichs’sche Buchhandlung.
Kuhn, R. 2011. Überlegungen zu Modellwerkzeugen im Grabinventar frühzeitlicher Bestattungen anhand einiger Beispiele aus dem Ägyptischen Museum der Universität Leipzig – Georg Steindorff. Mitteilungen des Deutschen archäologischen Instituts Abteilung Kairo 67: 111–124.

This paper presents archaeometric and archaeological study of a set of copper and bronze artifacts found at the sites of ancient Egypt and Nubia, which are deposited in the collection of Ägyptisches Museum – Georg Steindorff – der Universität Leipzig. Examined artifacts have been found at several important sites: Abydos, Abusir, Giza and Aniba. They represent the development of Ancient Egyptian metallurgy in more than one and half millennium, from the Dynasty 1 (ca. 3100 – 2900 BC) until almost the end of the New Kingdom (ca. 1200 BC). Analyzed set of 86 artifacts and almost 100 samples is covering different typological groups of the artifacts, such as full-size tools, their models, full-size vessels and mirrors, etc.
Detailed technical analysis has been carried out with the aim to obtain or specify information about chemical or structural artifact composition, using wide range of analytical techniques. All artifacts have been documented by X-ray radiography and more complex artifacts by X-ray tomography. Selected artifacts have been studied by metallographic methods in combination with micro hardness tests and SEM/EBSD analysis for better understanding of the mechanical and heat treatment production techniques. Chemical composition analyses were carried out by methods of XRF, SEM/EDS and NAA with the aim to characterize metals alloys and present admixtures. On the set of analyzed artifacts is clearly visible evolution of the alloys use across the studied periods and geographical areas. All obtained analytical data have been statistically evaluated in the context of spatial distribution, dating and function of the studied artifacts, in order to contribute to more detailed and accurate knowledge of metal production techniques and materials used in the Ancient Egyptian metallurgy.

Early copper metallurgy in Ancient Egypt / a case study of the material from Ägyptisches Museum der Universität Leipzig
Poster z Konference konzervátorů-restaurátorů, Plzeň 2015
Poster from the Conference of conservators-restorers, Pilsen 2015

The New Kingdom of Egypt is known as an “imperial” phase of ancient Egyptian history, with an unprecedented abundance of written and iconographic sources. Yet, the studies of Egyptian bronze objects of this period have uncovered a complex picture of recycled and remelted material with unclear signs of lead isotopic ratios and trace elements. We have had the opportunity to sample an assemblage of 40 well-dated objects coming from archaeological contexts at the Nubian site Aniba excavated by Georg Steindorff and currently deposited in the Ägyptischen Museum – Georg Steindorff – der Universität Leipzig. They are datable to the C-Group and the New Kingdom, i.e. to the Second Millennium BC in Egypt (preliminary results published in Kmošek et al. 2016). New dating of the pottery assemblage from Aniba has enabled us to reassess the archaeological context and distinguish between reliable and less reliable contexts. We have applied a wide range of archaeometallurgical methods to the samples obtained. Selected artefacts have been studied by metallographic methods in combination with microhardness tests and XRD. Chemical composition analyses were carried out by means of the ED-XRF, SEM/EDS and neutron activation analysis. Lead isotope analyses were carried out using a MC-ICP-MS spectrometer in order to better understand the geographic provenance of the copper ores used.
In this paper, we would like to discuss the results and preliminary interpretation of the data, testifying to widespread recycling and the use of several sources of ore. On the background of previously published studies (e.g. Rademakers et al. 2017; Shortland 2006), we would like to address anew the question of the reuse of copper on the “imperial” scale in New Kingdom Egypt through data from its southern “province”. This case study might bring new insights to the wider issues of the identification and interpretation of recycled material in ancient metallurgy.

References:
• KMOŠEK, J., ODLER, M., JAMBOROVÁ, T., ŠÁLKOVÁ, K., KMONÍČKOVÁ, M. and MSALLAMOVÁ, S̆., 2016. “Diachronic Changes of Ancient Egyptian and Nubian Metallurgy. Case Study of Material from the Egyptian Museum of Leipzig University (Poster).” Kalamata (GRE).
• RADEMAKERS, F. W., REHREN, T., PERNICKA, E., 2017. Copper for the Pharaoh: Identifying Multiple Metal Sources for Ramesses’ Workshops from Bronze and Crucible Remains. Journal of Archaeological Science 80: 50–73. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2017.01.017.
• SHORTLAND, A. J., 2006.  Application of Lead Isotope Analysis to a Wide Range of Late Bronze Age Egyptian Materials. Archaeometry 48, no. 4: 657–69. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-4754.2006.00279.x.

Copper alloy artefacts from ancient Nubia have not yet been analysed in sufficient numbers, in order to provide statistically significant data. Within the framework of a project of the Grant Agency of Charles University No. 38715, we have had the opportunity to sample an assemblage of 40 well-dated objects coming from archaeological contexts at the Nubian site Aniba excavated by Georg Steindorff and now deposited in the Ägyptischen Museums der Universität Leipzig. The artefacts have been found in the graves of C Group cemetery N and New Kingdom cemetery S. New dating of pottery assemblage from Aniba enabled us to reassess the archaeological context and determine between reliable and less reliable contexts. We have applied a wide range of archaeo-metallurgical methods on the obtained samples. Selected artefacts have been studied by metallographic methods in combination with micro hardness tests and XRD. Chemical composition analyses were carried out by the ED-XRF, SEM/EDS and neutron activation analysis. Lead isotope analyses were carried out using a MC-ICP-MS spectrometer in order to better understand the geographic provenance of the copper ores used. All methods contribute to better knowledge of the synchronic and diachronic development of copper alloy metallurgy in the C Group and New Kingdom periods at the studied site.

This paper presents an archaeometallurgical study of a corpus of copper alloy artefacts currently deposited in the collection of Ägyptisches Museum – Georg Steindorff – der Universität Leipzig. Main focus is on the interpretation of lead isotopes, which is in case of ancient Egypt a complex problem. The set of 86 artefacts (full-size vessels, full-size tools and their models, mirrors, razors and tweezers) is dated to the 3rd and 2nd millennium BC. The artefacts have been found in Early Dynastic tombs of the cemetery of Abusir; in the tomb of the last king of the Second Dynasty, Khasekhemwy, at Abydos; in a cemetery of 5th and 6th Dynasty officials at Giza, and in a C-Group and New Kingdom cemetery at Aniba in Nubia.
Lead isotope analyses were carried out using a MC-ICP-MS spectrometer. Other applied methods were focused on the production technology and chemical composition: ED-XRF, SEM/EDS and NAA. Newly acquired analytical data from NAA and MC-ICP-MS analysis were compared with available results of trace elements composition of copper alloy artefacts and lead isotope ratios of copper and lead ores from neighbouring regions.
Measured data need to be interpreted on the basis of knowledge of historical and archaeological context and the final interpretation is a result of discussion of scientists with the specialist in Egyptian history and archaeology. The measured data are not enough, especially in the case of one of the early civilization with complex approach to gathering of sources. Discussions and combined multidisciplinary methodology in the interpretation of data results in more secure data that reflect and contribute to the contemporary state of research of history and economy of ancient Egypt.

This paper presents an archaeometric and archaeological study of a set of copper alloy artefacts found at ancient Egyptian and Nubian sites, which are deposited in the collection of Ägyptisches Museum – Georg Steindorff – der Universität Leipzig, from important sites: Abydos, Abusir, Giza and Aniba. They represent the development of ancient Egyptian metallurgy in more than one and half millennia, from the First Dynasty (ca. 3100–2900 BC) until almost the end of the New Kingdom (ca. 1200 BC). The analyzed set of 86 artefacts and almost 100 samples covers different typological groups of artefacts such as full-size tools, model tools, full-size vessels and mirrors, etc. A detailed archaeometallurgical analysis has been carried out with the aim to obtain or specify information about the chemical or structural composition of the artefact using a wide range of analytical techniques. Selected artefacts have been studied by metallographic methods in combination with micro hardness tests and XRD. Chemical composition analyses were carried out by the ED-XRF, SEM/EDS and NAA methods. Lead isotope analyses were carried out using a MC-ICP-MS spectrometer in order to better understand the geographic provenance of the copper ores used. The development of the use of alloys, copper ores sources and technologies used across the studied periods and geographical areas is clearly visible on the set of analyzed artefacts. All obtained analytical and archaeological data have been statistically evaluated in order to contribute to more detailed and accurate knowledge of metal production techniques and materials used in ancient Egyptian metallurgy.

This paper presents an archaeometallurgical study of a set of copper alloy artefacts found at ancient Egyptian sites currently deposited in the collection of Ägyptisches Museum – Georg Steindorff – der Universität Leipzig. The examined artifacts are dated to the 3rd millennium BC, to the Early Dynastic and Old Kingdom periods. The analyzed set of 20 artefacts covers different types such as full-size vessels, full-size tools, and their models. They have been found in Early Dynastic tombs of the cemetery of Abusir; in the tomb of the last king of the Second Dynasty, Khasekhemwy, at Abydos; and in a cemetery of Fifth and Sixth Dynasty officials at Giza. The artefacts thus offer a diachronic overview of the use of copper alloys throughout the Egyptian Early Bronze Age.
A detailed technical analysis has been carried out with the aim to obtain or specify information about the chemical or structural composition of the artefacts using wide range of analytical techniques. Selected artefacts have been studied by metallographic methods in combination with micro hardness tests and XRD. Chemical composition analyses were carried out by the ED-XRF, SEM/EDS and NAA methods. Lead isotope analyses were carried out using a MC-ICP-MS spectrometer in order to better understand the geographic provenance of the copper ores used. All obtained analytical and archaeological data have been statistically evaluated in order to contribute to more detailed and accurate knowledge of metal production techniques and materials used in early Egyptian metallurgy. The results of the study illustrate rich cultural interactions between Egypt and the Near East in the 3rd millennium BC.

Metal artefacts have not been used frequently in the study of Ancient Egyptian economy. It is important to study and analyze artefacts in the collections of world museums out of Egypt, foremost the artefacts with known provenance. The collection of artefacts in Ägyptisches Museum – Georg- Steindorff – der  Universität Leipzig contains provenanced artefacts from the Early Dynastic period, Old, Middle and New Kingdom from several important sites: Abydos, Abusir, Giza and Aniba. Most of them were acquired during the excavations of Georg Steindorff at Giza and Aniba. Material from Abusir and Dynasty 2 tomb of king Khasekhemwy at Abydos is datable to the Early Dynastic period. Tools and vessels from Giza are from the Old Kingdom. The cemeteries at Aniba brought to light artefacts from Middle and New Kingdom, including some of the finest New Kingdom vessels preserved. All artefacts have been radiographed, some have been scanned by computer tomography in IMKM Leipzig. Samples have been analyzed at the University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague and we will present the results of XRF, SEM/EDS, NAA and metallographic analyses. We will focus on the diachronic changes in the use of ore sources and use of varying alloys for the production of the artefacts and model artefacts.