#Archaeology31 #science

OK. Here we go.

Science is great. It's wonderful. It's given us so many brilliant techniques and tools with which to explore and understand torcs.

But....science isn't everything.

Thread.

In the case of torcs, an overly scientific approach has led to an absence of basic understanding.

(Contrary to this 2018 paper, we've found sheet gold torcs, separately cast torc terminals + shown casting on was only ever used for the most basic torcs... )

Yes, we can examine torcs at a microscopic level and we can tell the precise % of the alloy.

We can show you tool marks in incredible detail and create xrays of gold which would not have been possible a few years ago.

But, if we haven't just sat and looked at the artefacts, haven't considered what all this data actually *means* and haven't spoken to those who have the skill and knowledge to be able to interpret these 'facts' then we will often miss much that these objects can tell us.

We need to work collaboratively using many different approaches...

... and to consistently ignore the evidence gleaned by an experienced craft eye will never tell the full story!