Αpproaching metalworking In the EC settlements of Kastri, Syros and Skarkos, Ios, and Myrto Georgakopoulou’s contribution, Conference: Hephaestus at Work: A Celebration of Myrto Georgakopoulou’s Work and Legacy, British School at Athens (September 20). (original) (raw)

Αpproaching metalworking In the EC settlements of Kastri, Syros and Skarkos, Ios, and Myrto Georgakopoulou’s contribution, Conference: Hephaestus at Work: A Celebration of Myrto Georgakopoulou’s Work and Legacy, British School at Athens (September 20).

The metallurgical objects, in combination with the numerous weapons and tools found in the old excavations in the Kastri fortified settlement, established it as an important place for the practice of metalworking and especially the manufacture of bronze artefacts. From the new excavations, evidence emerged also for the casting of lead in Kastri, since according to the study of the late Myrto Georgakopoulou, honoured in the current conference, two objects show that lead was stored in the settlement for further processing. These items are a) an object in the shape of a very shallow bowl, which is probably some form of lead ‘tortoise’, namely metal that has been roughly cast in this shape for storage until it used to make an object by casting or forging and b) a set of folded lead sheets which most likely came from a damaged bowl, a part of which was kept for recycling. It is of particular importance that during the 2019 excavation period at the major early EBA II Skarkos settlement, significant metallurgical objects came to light for the first time, which leaves no doubt about the practice of metalworking in that site as well. Those objects were all found in the small and narrow building Bb and include: a) the lower part of a large ceramic vessel with copper residues inside, probably used as a portable hearth, b) two clay tuyères and, c) a lead spool, an artefact possibly used as balance weight and associated with metalworking according to some scholars. Therefore, Skarkos is to be added to the EBA domestic sites where metalworking was practised. It is, in fact, one of the earliest of those locales.