Project Manager
Nilsson, AndreasProject manager
Lund UniversityAmount granted
80 000 SEKYear
2016
Scandinavian bronze craftsmanship during the Bronze Age has been discussed in many different contexts countless times. This discussion can continue thanks to new discoveries and new ways of investigating the material. I investigate Bronze Age bronze craftsmanship and mainly how accessible bronze craftsmanship has been for people in southern Scandinavia in particular. Has it been a technology that was available to many or have the craftsmen kept their knowledge and only spread the technology to selected people? What routes have the technology and knowledge taken? Was there room for local part-time bronze casters or did the technology require so much knowledge that the craftsman had to be a specialist? These are questions I approach by examining the different stages of the craft through the Chaîne opératoire. By breaking down and discussing the different stages of the craft, I hope to approach the bronze craftsmen and their skills. I also examine casting crucibles, molds and other technical ceramics. My main material, however, is in wood axes. The single largest group of bronze artifacts from the Scandinavian Bronze Age and a type of object that must be classified as everyday objects.