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3.094

Materials in Human Experience

2-3-4 units. HASS-S · Undergraduate

Examines how people throughout history have selected, evaluated, processed, and utilized natural materials to create objects of material culture. Explores ideological and aesthetic criteria influential in materials development. As examples of ancient engineering and materials processing, topics may include ancient Roman concrete and prehistoric iron and steel production by the Mossi, Haya, and other African cultures. Particular attention paid to the climate issues surrounding iron and cement, and how the examination of ancient technologies can inform our understanding of sustainability in the present and illuminate paths for the future. Previous topics have included Maya use of lime plaster for frescoes, books, and architectural sculpture; the sound, color, and power of metals in Mesoamerica; and metal, cloth, and fiber technologies in the Inca empire. Laboratory sessions provide practical experience with materials discussed in class. Enrollment limited to 24.

Spring 2004

Topics

  • Lecture 1: Ancient Metallurgy of the New World and the Old World: Cultures and Materials Properties Compared
  • Lecture 2: Extractive Metallurgy: Winning Metal from Metallic Ores
  • Laboratory 1: Smelting Copper Ore: Preparation of Crucible Charge
  • Lecture 3: Andean Sheet Metal Tradition vs. Central/Mesoamerican Casting Tradition: Plastic Deformation in Andean Metalworking Design
  • Lecture 4: Color: The Focus of Andean Alloy Development and Surface Enrichment Techniques
  • Laboratory 2: Copper-silver Alloying: Preparation of Sand Moulds and Alloy Metals
  • Lecture 5: Color and Planarity: Cultural Significance of Metallic Properties in Andean Cosmology
  • Lecture 6: The Power of Metal in the Andean World: Bronze vs. Tumbaga
  • Laboratory 3: Copper-silver Alloying: Preparation of Silver-coated Sheet Metal from Ingot by Plastic Deformation, Annealing, Pickling
  • Lecture 7: Andean Metal Artifacts: Visit to the CMRAE Laboratories
  • Lecture 8: Field Trip
  • Lecture 9: Student Presentations

Readings

  • Lechtman, Heather. “The Andean World” (chapter 1), and “Cloth and Metal: The Culture of Technology” (chapter 2). In Andean Art at Dumbarton Oaks . Edited by Elizabeth Boone. Washington, D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library & Collection, July 1, 1996, pp. 15-43. ISBN: 9780884022251.
    Listed reading
  • ———. “Technologies of Power - The Andean Case.” In Configurations of Power in Complex Society . Edited by John S. Henderson, and Patricia J. Netherly. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1993, pp. 244-280.
    Listed reading
  • ———. “Traditions and Styles in Central Andean Metalworking.” In The Beginning of the Use of Metals and Alloys . Edited by Robert Maddin. Cambridge: MIT Press, August 30, 1988, pp. 344-378. ISBN: 9780262132329.
    Listed reading
  • ———. “PreColumbian Surface Metallurgy.” Scientific American 250 (1984): 56-63.
    Listed reading
  • ———. “Afterward.” In The Social Dynamics of Technology: Practice, Politics and World Views . Edited by Marcia-Anne Dobres, and Christopher R. Hoffman. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Books, May 1, 1999, pp. 223-232. ISBN: 9781560989097.
    Listed reading
  • ———. “Arsenic Bronze: Dirty Copper or Chosen Alloy?” Journal of Field Archaeology 23 (1996): 477-514.
    Listed reading
  • Lechtman, Heather, and Sabine Klein. “The Production of Copper-Arsenic Alloys (Arsenic Bronze) by Cosmelting: Modern Experiment, Ancient Practice.” Journal of Archaeological Science 26, no. 5 (1999): 497-526.
    Listed reading
  • Lechtman, Heather. “Architectural Cramps at Tiwanaku: Copper-Arsenic-Nickel Bronze.” In Metallurgica Antiqua . Edited by Thilo Rehren, Andreas Hauptmann, and James Muhly. Vol. 8, Der Anscnitt . Bochum: Selbstverlag des Deutschen Bergbau Museum, 1998, pp. 77-92. ISBN: 3921533600.
    Listed reading
  • Shimada, Izumi., and John F. Merkel. “Copper-Alloy Metallurgy in Ancient Peru.” Scientific American 256 (1991): 80-86.
    Listed reading
  • Oliver, José R. “Gold Symbolism among Caribbean Chiefdoms.” In PreColumbian Gold: Technology, Style and Iconography . Edited by Colin McEwan. London: British Museum Press, 2000, pp. 196-219. ISBN: 9780714125343.
    Listed reading

Prerequisites & course information

Same subject as 1.034[J] Prereq: None U (Spring) 2-3-4 units. HASS-S

Sources