#Archaeology31 #decolonise

In the UK, the study of gold artefacts always references western, often white, traditions of goldworking with gold torcs consistently described as being repoussé, punched, chased etc.

Thread.

However, as we have found, these ways of working, and terms, don't necessarily fit the evidence.

We believe that by adhering to such rigid thinking, this has limited understanding. After all, a goldsmith working 2300 years ago would not have known they had to work gold in a particular way according to how it is mostly taught in the west, some two millenia later...

What they would have known is that gold behaves in certain ways, but that manipulating it can be done using a number of different techniques... and there is no reason those will adhere to western derived traditions.

By chance, we came into contact with Ford Hallam, a master in Japanese goldworking techniques, and his approach has opened our eyes.

In many sheet torcs, it would appear that an adaptation of a technique known as Uchidashi, where gold is consistently worked from the exterior, has been used.

This technique fits the evidence and opens up avenues of research that have not yet been explored. It also made us think about what we were missing.

This has been ground breaking for us and our current research is aiming to look beyond the west, to see whether other traditions of gold working may hold further clues.