Commentary

Archaeotechnology

The History and

Archaeology of Materials
Symposium
Gregory J. Hildeman

At the Materials Science and Technology 2005 (MS&T05) conference

held in Pittsburgh in September, nine
papers were presented at the History and
Archaeology of Materials Symposium.
The conference was sponsored by TMS,
the American Ceramic Society, ASM
International, and the Association of Iron
and Steel Technology. The symposium
provided a forum for studies on the
history and archaeology of materials,
including papers from France, Mexico,
the United Kingdom, and the United
States.
The first session began with a quote
made by Cyril Stanley Smith, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, in 1970: The history of
technology and science should be a
significant fraction of all history that
is taught in schools and universities.
It throws light on all aspects of mans
being and underlies all great social
changes. Smiths comment underscored
the overall purpose of the symposium
of offering an opportunity for those
involved in the scientific study, as well
as those interested in the archaeology
and history of minerals, metals, ceramics, and other materials, to exchange
information, discuss ideas, and learn
about the importance of materials to
societies. The following are highlights
from the six papers that are included in
this issue of JOM.
The first paper, by Donald L. Gibbon
from MATCO, Inc., is How Roebling
Did It: Building the Worlds First WireRope Suspension Aqueduct in 1840s
Pittsburgh. This paper was particularly
significant since wire-rope suspension
structures were first built within a few
blocks of Pittsburghs convention center,
where MS&T05 was held. The first
such structure was a wooden aqueduct
on stone piers carrying the Pennsylvania
2006 May JOM

Mainline Canal across the Allegheny

River into downtown Pittsburgh. It was
designed by Americas foremost bridgebuilding genius, the German immigrant
John Roebling.
Understanding the Copper of the
Statue of Liberty by Jean-Marie Welter
of KM Europa Metal discusses the significant contribution of Pierre Eugne
Secrtan of France, who was the leading
worldwide copper industrialist in the
1880s and who donated some 80 tonnes
of rolled copper sheets for the construction of the Statue of Liberty. Analytical
results of samples obtained from the
U.S. National Park Service revealed that
at least two different brands of copper
were used.
A paper by Anna Karatzani and Thilo
Rehren from the Institute of Archaeology, University College London,
discusses The Use of Metal Threads
and Decorations in Byzantine-Greek
Orthodox Ecclesiastical Textiles. Karatzani and Rehren present the results of
their analysis of metal threads used in
Byzantine-Greek ecclesiastical textiles
between the 13th and 19th centuries.
They found that many types of metal
threads were used and the choice of
materials was influenced by the desired
final appearance of the textile.
About the Pre-Hispanic Au-Pt Sintering Technique for Making Alloys,
which was co-authored by Maria Eugenia Noguez, Rachel Garcia, Guillermo
Salas, Teresita Robert, and Jose G.
Ramirez from the Universidad Nacional Autnoma de Mxico, Facultad de
Quimica, presents an analysis of many
Pre-hispanic objects.
A departure from the purely technical
discussions is The Sacred in Mesoamerican Materials by Guillermo Salas, Jose
G. Ramirez, and Mara Noguez, all from
the Universidad Nacional Autnoma de

Mxico, Facultad de Quimica. The paper

emphasizes that to interpret the use of
materials in Mesoamerican life, one
needs to understand the culture of the
different human groups from 2500 B.C. to
1521 A.D. This work provides a cultural
context to understand the diversity of
materials used, as well as the processing,
properties, and significance of materials
and objects in the lives of the people in
Mesoamerica.
Crucible Damascus Steel: A Fascination for Almost 2000 Years by Ann
Feuerbach of Hofstra University provides an in-depth study into the history of
crucible steel, also called Indian wootz,
Central Asian pulad, Bulat, or oriental
Damascus steel. This paper presents the
origins of crucible steel, its influence
on the history of ferrous alloys, and the
current interest in this unique metal.
Three papers were presented in the
symposium but not in this collection.
Tim Foecke of the National Institute of
Standards and Technology presented
Metallurgical Analysis and Conservation Efforts of the Wreck of the U.S.S.
Arizona. Louise Dean of Westmoreland Mechanical Testing & Research
presented a paper coauthored by Cara
Armstrong of the Western Pennsylvania
Conservancy on the Investigation of
the Steel Used at Fallingwater. (Note:
Louise Dean published a previous
investigation on Fallingwater in the
March 2003 issue of JOM, which can
be viewed at www.tms.org/pubs/journals/JOM/0303/Dean-0303.html). Dean
also presented a paper on Analysis of
Spikes from the Carson & Colorado
Railroad.
The symposium was organized by Greg Hildeman
of Alcoa, Inc. at Alcoa Center, Pennsylvania and
by Mike Notis, a retired professor from Lehigh
University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Hildeman
was the 2004 President of TMS.

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