Early medieval blacksmith's graves in Central Europe

Introduction

As part of a research project on early medieval blacksmith graves in eastern Central Europe, the preliminary results of the metallographic investigation of several tools from the blacksmith's grave from Poysdorf (6th century AD) are presented here.In grave 6 from Poysdorf, which was recovered in 1933 by Eduard Benninger, on the right side of the body various tools could be recovered, which can be assigned to the blacksmith's craft.Of these, five items could undergo a metallographic analysis: a hammer - Inv. No . 62.800, an anvil inv. No . 62.798, a pair of forging tongs - Inv. No .: 62.801, a file - Inv. No . 62.804 and a cutting device - Inv. No . 62.803.Embedded in these archaeological studies on craft, trade, social and cultural history, an attempt to gain insights into metal technology and production methods of prehistoric times was made.

Metallography

In the course of this investigation, the production technique and material quality of the iron objects from the blacksmith's grave of Poysdorf (grave 6) were to be analysed. The processing of metals, by forging, annealing, hardening and other working techniques, leaves characteristic microstructures in the finished workpiece that can be identified on the etched cross-section. The identified technological features contribute to the definition of the quality and formation of individual pieces. As an example, two finds will be presented here.

Question

The analysis focused mainly on the classification of tools and their functionality, as well as the identification of various characteristics such as material quality and heat treatment of the metal.

As a result, a correct response to the existing tools in tombs should be found and their possible use (coarse forging or fine forging) should be discussed. Were unusable or functional tools added? Could the blacksmith judge the quality of the raw material and use it accordingly?

Cutting device - Fnr. 62.803 - cross-section