{"id":13,"date":"2008-10-06T18:43:36","date_gmt":"2008-10-06T23:43:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/leonidsurpin.userblogs.ganoksin.coms\/?page_id=8"},"modified":"2008-10-06T18:43:36","modified_gmt":"2008-10-06T23:43:36","slug":"ancient-goldsmiths","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/userblogs.ganoksin.com\/leonidsurpin\/ancient-goldsmiths\/","title":{"rendered":"Ancient Goldsmiths"},"content":{"rendered":"

The metal of choice for a goldsmith is gold.\u00a0 It is not to say that other metals are not used from time to time, but gold plays the dominant role in the goldsmithing.\u00a0 The earliest known gold artifacts are from a burial site known as Varna Necropolis, Bulgaria.\u00a0 They were dated to 5-th millennia B.C.
\n $\"\"$ <\/a> I was able to locate photo of the artifacts on the Internet.\u00a0 I wish I could give proper credit to whoever took the photo, but it was put on the Internet without any identification.\u00a0 If someone knows the name of the photographer, I would gladly update this text with the proper attribution.
\nThe technical sophistication, displayed by these artifacts, is absolutely amazing.\u00a0 Take a look at hollow bangle.\u00a0 What a magnificent example of anticlastic raising.\u00a0 Even in modern shop, it is not a trivial task to create bangle like it.\u00a0 One cannot help but wonder how could ancient goldsmiths know so much about working with gold.
\nLet\u2019s look at the task of creating such bangle in 5-th millennia B.C.\u00a0 It is not likely that Hoover and Strong were around at that time, so a goldsmith had to procure his own gold.\u00a0 Since hammering gold into shape requires metal uniformity, the gold found in natural state had to be smelted.\u00a0 The gold ingot so obtained, was converted into sheet by hammering it.\u00a0 Pure gold does not require annealing, but gold alloy does.\u00a0 It is doubtful that ancient goldsmiths could refine gold to the degree of purity where annealing would be unnecessary, so they had to know how to anneal the gold to remove the work hardening.
\n $\"\"$ <\/a> After gold sheet was hammered out, it was cut to required length and width, and soldered to create a hoop.\u00a0 While act of cutting is a simple process in the modern shop, it was far from simple in those times.\u00a0 Soldering was probably done on bed of coals, which was quite a feat in itself.\u00a0 Use of solder implied knowledge of alloys and varying melting points depending on alloy composition.\u00a0 This is almost too much to believe that such knowledge could exist 7000 years ago.\u00a0 But the shape of the bangle is the most remarkable feature of all.\u00a0 To get to the required shape it is necessary to compress metal at the edges to compensate for the difference in length along the bangle profile.\u00a0 Mathematically speaking, the surface of the bangle mimics the surface of a toroid.\u00a0 If we measure the circumference of the bangle in the highest point of it\u2019s convex, and compare to the circumference at the edges, there would be a significant difference in length.\u00a0 A goldsmith must be keenly aware of that difference and compensate for it by well planned and well placed strikes of a hammer.
\nCould the ancient goldsmiths understood toroid shape to such a degree that they could manipulate an annulus constructed of flat metal strip to assume toroidal shape.\u00a0 As improbable as it is, it is hard not to come to that conclusion.
\nLet\u2019s forward the tape 7000 years and look at modern jewellery shop.\u00a0 It is highly unlikely to find a modern goldsmith swinging a hammer at a gold ingot.\u00a0 Casting replaced hand fabrication. Wax carving made the skill of shaping gold obsolete.\u00a0 Goldsmith is no longer required to come up with ingenuous solutions to difficult soldering problems, since lasers can produce tiny welds with impunity.
\nWe have discarded the knowledge bequeathed to us by the Ancient Goldsmiths for the sake of convenience.\u00a0 Except for the very few, the term goldsmith has lost it\u2019s meaning and gold worker is far more appropriate.\u00a0 Some call it a progress, but there are others who disagree.
\nOut of reservoir of knowledge, accumulated by Ancient Goldsmiths, disciplines like Metallurgy, Chemistry, Applied Mathematics, and many others were born.\u00a0 An ancient goldsmith, toiling over his forge, was the principal seed out of which our civilization has grown.
\nThe role of modern goldsmith if far more humble, and the golden age of goldsmithing has past.\u00a0 Going forward, I wonder.\u00a0 What is the function of a goldsmith in the 21-rst century?\u00a0 Are we ever going to assume the role of pioneers of Science and Technology like the Ancient Goldsmiths did, instead of been just users of inventions by others?\u00a0 What is the function of Jewellery in modern society?\u00a0 I would love to know your thoughts on the subject.<\/p>\n

Leonid Surpin<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"