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HMS Spring Meeting: Urban archaeometallurgy: historical metallurgy in towns and cities, 21st February 2009
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Organiser
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Urban metallurgists used skills and techniques quite different from those used by miners and smelters, and
played an important technological and economic role in urban life. Their endeavours were closely related to
those of other crafts, and their products were directly relevant to those living in the immediate vicinity.
Thus, the documentation and study of urban metallurgical workshops and artefacts provides an interesting path
to the functioning of historical towns and cities, as well as insights into relatively unexplored areas of
historical metallurgy.
This workshop aims to provide a forum for the presentation of studies on metallurgical remains excavated in
urban contexts. To provide a balance for the focus on ferrous metallurgy of previous HMS workshops, we
particularly encourage presentations of research on non-ferrous and noble metals, and we welcome studies of
both metalworking debris and finished artefacts. The chronological and geographical remit is purposefully broad,
but we hope to showcase studies of materials recovered during rescue excavations in historical cities. The
underlying intention is to provide examples of the use of such assemblages for research purposes, maximising
their informative potential and saving them from neglect. By inviting urban archaeologists and finds specialists
as well as archaeometallurgists, we also intend to create a network for the development of future projects.
The spring day meeting of the Historical Metallurgy Society will be held at the
Institute of Archaeology at University College London.
The Day Meeting is being organised by Marcos Martinón-Torres.
Email: Marcos Martinón-Torres.
A great number of archaeometallurgical remains are found in urban contexts.
These include, among others, foundry remains, forges, goldsmith workshops, mints, assay offices or just stray
finds of crucibles, slag or metal objects. Although these assemblages are increasingly studied by specialists,
many remain unidentified or neglected in archaeological archives.