How Big a Sample Will You Let Me Have? - Metallography in Archaeology (*Technical Presentation)

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When:  Apr 20, 2021 from 18:30 to 20:00 (ET)

How Big a Sample Will You Let Me Have?
Metallography in Archaeology
(*Technical Presentation)

*Worth 1 PDH toward the educational requirements for a professional engineer license.

Tuesday, April 20, 2021
6:30 PM to 8:00 PM

A Zoom Virtual Event

Cost: There is no charge for this presentation.

Reservations: Please make your reservation using this Eventbrite page.  Contact Jeff Wiese (wiese@nleng.com or 804-421-7897) if you have any questions. Be sure to add the PDH credit to the reservation if you wish to receive it.

About the Presentation:

This presentation is based on two premises: that everything that happens to metal once it leaves the crucible or forge leaves a trace that can be recovered metallographically, and that the return in archaeologically or historically valuable information increases with sample size. The sample size is what you can convince the excavator or museum curator to let you take based on the predicted return in information.

Almost inevitably the sample is going to be small and the first part of the talk will show how such samples are taken, mounted, polished, and etched. This will be followed by two segments describing projects from the British Bronze Age, about 1100 BC.

The first is an assemblage of weapon fragments which have been broken up and burned, presumably after a fight. Besides microprobe analysis and optical metallography we could add here microhardness measurements and X-radiography.

The second is the work in progress, scrap metal supply and failed castings from a workshop which closed down around the same time and the metal buried in such conditions as to completely minimise corrosion. The 8000 fragments are an amazing collection of workshop practice, with pieces that have failed at all stages of manufacture.

The talk will conclude with an introduction to new directions we have been able to pursue: exploring the exposure of metal to fire, the use of 3D and CT scanning, and texture analysis using neutron diffraction and EBSD.

About Our Presenter:

Dr. Peter Northover has a BA and DPhil in Metallurgy from the University of Oxford, UK. He was born in Oxford but grew up on the Isle of Wight. He started working on archaeological excavations when he was 15 and, after meeting parental opposition to reading archaeology at university, he moved to metallurgy.

Between school and university he worked at Westland Aircraft at Cowed, taking part in the construction of the first cross-Channel passenger-carrying hovercraft, and during one long vacation worked in the metallurgy lab at the Royal Mint.

After completing his doctorate in stress corrosion and hydrogen embrittlement, he obtained a post-doc position in 1974 to analyse all the Bronze Age metalwork in Wales, a project he is still trying to finish. Since then he has continued to work in archaeometallurgy, almost always with non-ferrous and precious metals. The only exception was to satisfy the inner railfan, supervising a number of Master's projects on railroad rails.

In retirement he has set up a metallography lab at home, tries to deal with the publication backlog (he will pass 220 publications this year) and is researching for a PhD in landscape archaeology. He lives outside Oxford with his wife, who is a metallurgist, and his cat, who is not.

Location

Dial-in Instructions:
You will receive instructions for joining the Zoom call with your Eventbrite reservation confirmation.
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Contact

Jeffrey Wiese
(804) 421-7897
wiese@nleng.com