Paper short abstract:

The paper proposes building a semi-fictional reconstruction of the metallurgical process as means of presenting ritual aspects of ancient metallurgy, based on the Ghassulian culture of the Southern Levant (c. 4500-4000) and ethno-historic parallels.

Paper long abstract:

The Ghassulian culture of the Southern Levant (ca. 4500-4000), the earliest well-documented metalworking culture in the region, gives us a chance to explore development of a new technology. Extensive research has been done on the Ghassulian metallurgy, mostly on its technical properties, with fewer contributions on cultural and ritual aspects.

In this paper we develop a framework for building a semi-fictional reconstruction of smelting and casting process, from ore acquiring to finished artifacts and their subsequent use. This reconstruction will be in accordance with all the available technical, typological and experimental evidence we have. The semi-fictional part of the reconstruction will add aspects of ritual performance, based on examples for ritualized metallurgy from ethno-historical records. We argue that the Ghassulian metallurgy was ritualized: it was a new practice that transformed rock into a previously unknown material, used to produce ritual and symbolic artifacts. Ample evidence indicates that prior to modern industrialization, metallurgy was a ritualized practice.

The reconstruction will describe the same events from different perspectives: from master smiths to bystanders. This would give us a possibility to explore several different ways in which the process might have been understood. Those accounts are to be accompanied by detailed explanations on why things are reconstructed the way they are.

Our aim is to bring to life individuals involved in the process and to create a vivid presentation of the ritualized technology, pervious to archaeologists and to wider audiences alike.