Courses 2008
Very special event
Winter Solstice Bronze Casting 21st December 2008
High on the hill top inside Henbury Iron age hill fort there are two large bronze age barrows which date from around 3800 years ago probably the graves of great chieftains who were laid to rest under their barrows on a prominent hill top for all to see and even when the hill fort was built 1200 years later the barrows were still revered.
For the chosen few it was fashionable to be buried with a fine beaker pot some flint flakes, archery equipment and best of all a bronze dagger of the finest workmanship, although this is rare, the golden metal would have impressed all in this world and the next.
Cast your own ancient bronze age dagger on the winter solstice and celebrate the changing of the year and step back 3800 years to the early Bronze age. You will cast your own bronze dagger in stone mould and see at first hand the alchemy of copper and tin then clean and decorate it over the day which will finish with a bronze age meal watching the sun set from the bronze age barrows on Hen-bury hill fort. This also includes a archeological tour of the hill fort and barrows and possibly (Dragonfly Moon) will pipe the setting of the sun on a bronze horn.
Cost £50
Contact Alex Hannis Stover Country Park, Devon 01626835236 bring warm clothing and sense of humor
BRONZE SWORD FESTIVAL September 5th to 9thNow extended to a four day event celebrating bronze swords and mastery of bronze age smiths, with a series of casting experiments and hands on practical work, which allows you to explore sword making in the bronze while working on your own sword (Ewart Park). The stunning setting of the round houses of Tre-wortha farm, in the bronze age landscape of Bodmin moor, makes this a unique experience: bronze swords in a bronze age landscape and not a car in sight.
Cost £200 More Info here
Wealdendown Open Air MuseumSingleton
Chichester
West Sussex
PO18 0EU
Web Site www.wealddown.co.uk telephone 01243 811363
BRONZE AXE WORKSHOP April 5th (new axe)
9:30am till 5:00pm
In this workshop you will manufacture a bronze flat axe from the early Bronze Age. you will experience at first hand the melting and casting of bronze with charcoal, and the problems that early metalworkers had to overcome. This workshop centres mainly on casting with charcoal and stone moulds.
Cost £75GREEN STONE AXE WORKSHOP April 6th
10:00am till 5:00pm
With the arrival of the stone axes, the early settlers cleared the tree cover and changed the Wealden Down landscape, to the landscape we see today, initially with flint axes sourced locally, but later imported axes of hard stone were preferred. The green stone axes from Cornwall were probably some of the best. This workshop will cover knapping, grinding and polishing.
Cost £60BRONZE RAPIER WORKSHOP May 10th
9:30am till 5:00pm
As casting methods improved in the Middle Bronze Age, blades increased in length, and by 1000BC metal workers were getting close to a short sword. Using a stone mould, and charcoal we will cast classic rapiers of 17 inches in length, using authentic methods. Could this be the root of the sword in the stone of Arthurian legend?
Cost £85.GOLD SUN DISC May 11th
10:00am till 5:00pm
A unique opportunity to work with pure gold and make a pair of sun disc earrings and to understand why early metal workers held this soft yellow metal in such high regard. The workshop will cover forging, simple repose and decoration work, with silver ear loops included.
Cost £75SILVER WRIST TORQUE CASTING June 7th
9:30am till 5:00pm
Cast your own classic bronze age wrist torque with round body and flared terminals, in pure silver, this simple and elegant design starts from around 2000 BC in Britain and was usually cast in gold, this will appeal to any one looking to develop there own silver casting, 1.4 troy ounces pure silver
Cost £60BRONZE SOCKET AXE WORKSHOP June 8th
10:00am till 5:00pm
The socket axe was the last development in bronze axe technology, although a sophisticated casting it was produced in such vast numbers it could be viewed as the first mass produced product. This workshop will explore the manufacture of socket axes in the late Bronze Age, the group will cast two experimental axes and work on there own casting throughout the day and finish the day looking at different hafting methods.
Cost £60SILVER SPIRALED WRIST TORQUE July 6th
9:30am till 5.00pm
The Bronze Age metal workers in Britain reached new artistic heights with the forging and twisting of bronze and gold in the manufacture of torques, pins and bracelets. We will be using the same techniques and working with pure silver rod to make a bracelet with twisted body with forged terminals. 19 grams pure silver.
Cost £55SILVER LEAF SHAPED BRACELET WITH SPIRALLED TERMINALS August 2nd
9:30am till 5:00pm
Punch decoration is probably the earliest way of decorating sheet metal. The Bronze Age metal workers in Britain reached new artistic heights with the forging and twisting of bronze and gold in the manufacture of torques, pins and bracelets. We will be using the same techniques and working with pure silver sheet and rod to create a classic leaf shaped bracelet with opposite spiraled ends. The workshop will involve punch decorating sheet silver and spiraling silver rod to make the double spirals for the terminals. 1 troy ounce pure silver.
Cost £55PREHISTORIC BEAD AND STRING WORKSHOP August 3rd
10:00am till 5:00pm
Beads are one of the oldest forms of body adornment, and probably started with animal teeth and seashells, working with amber, jet, shell, bone, shale and silver this workshop will make beads and cordage using ancient technology.
Cost £45EWART PARK BRONZE SWORD October 11th & 12th
10:00am till 5:00pm
From 1000bc the elegant classic leaf blade of the Ewart could be found though out the British Isles, recent research by archaeologist Sue Bridgeford shows that most bronze age swords were used in battle, "Weapons are often regarded as having had a largely ceremonial purpose, only being used (if at all) for fighting... [however] the majority bear signs of edge damage consistent with blade-on-blade impact". If you look at the amount of weaponry from this time and that people were building defended settlements and the beginnings of hill forts like the trundle, it all points to warfare being part of every day life in the weald during the Bronze Age. This two day workshop will explore the manufacturing of bronze leaf blade, each student will work on their own sword cleaning forging and look at different handles and riveting
Cost £180
Kilmartin Museum ScotlandKilmartin House Trust,
Kilmartin,
Argyll,
Scotland,
PA31 8RQ
Web Site www.kilmartin.org telephone 01546510278 SILVER SPIRALED WRIST TORQUE June 14th
9:30am till 5:00pm
The Bronze Age metal workers in Britain reached new artistic heights with the forging and twisting of bronze and gold in the manufacture of torques, pins and bracelets. We will be using the same techniques and working with pure silver rod to make a bracelet with twisted body with forged terminal
Cost £55BRONZE SWORD WORKSHOP June 21st & 22nd (Swords of Shuna)
10:00am till 4:00pm
The discovery of the three bronze swords on the isle of Shuna in 1875 by workmen digging a trench, must be one of the most enigmatic of deposition of swords from the Bronze Age. The three swords had been driven vertically into the peat 3000 years ago, possibly in veneration to a dead chieftain or an offering to their gods. Even today the story told by the locals is of the three swords tied together to end a blood feud. The swords belonged to a type called the Ewart Park and is the classic leaf blade that dominated sword design in the late Bronze Age. This workshop will explore the manufacture of bronze swords, with one experimental casting, then each student will work on their own sword. Cleaning, polishing, and edge forging, with information provided on hafting.
Cost £120
Butser Ancient FarmNexus House
Gravel Hill
Waterlooville
Hampshire
PO8 0QE
Web Site www.butser.org.uk telephone 023 9259 8838 BALLINTOBER SWORD WORKSHOP August 9th
10:00am till 5:00pm
The Ballintober sword is the first leaf shaped sword made in Britain. It dates from around 1100 BC and belongs to a group of metalwork called the Penard assemblage. Its design was influenced by early swords coming out of Bronze Age Europe from what we know as Urnfeild Culture. It marked the first step in the fairly rapid development of the leaf shaped blade that dominated the latter part of the Bronze Age. This new shape of weapon could be used both for stabbing and slashing weapon and was thus far more practical in the melee of battle. This workshop will explore the manufacture of swords from this period and a 21” blade will be cast using authentic methods. Each person will then work on their own blade, identical to the one cast by the group, and finish the day by looking at handle designs.
Cost £100SILVER SPIRALED WRIST TORQUE July 13th
10:00am till 5:00pm
The Bronze Age metal workers in Britain reached new artistic heights with the forging and twisting of bronze and gold in the manufacture of torques, pins and bracelets. We will be using the same techniques and working with pure silver rod to make a bracelet with twisted body with forged terminals. 19 grams pure silver
Cost £50
Hamhill Country ParkThe Rangers office
Ham Hill Country Park
Stoke Sub Hamdon
Somerset
Web Site www.ham-hill.co.uk CHECK URL telephone 01935 823617 for bookings BRONZE RAPIER July 26th
10:00am till 4:00pm
Explore the sword in the stone legend; with bronze rapier casting from the middle Bronze Age (1600 BC) using charcoal and stone moulds, the group will cast a classic rapier blade 14inches in length using charcoal. During the day each student will clean and finish their own pre cast rapier blade, similar to the one cast by the group, and finish the day looking at designs for handles and scabbards.
Cost £40SILVER SPIRALED WRIST TORQUE August 16th
10.00 till 4.00
The Bronze Age metal workers in Britain reached new artistic heights with the forging and twisting of bronze and gold in the manufacture of torques, pins and bracelets. We will be using the same techniques and working with pure silver rod to make a bracelet with twisted body with forged terminals.
Cost £40
Stover Country ParkStover,
Newton Abbot,
Devon
TQ12 6QG
Web Site devon.gov.uk/stover_country_park.htm telephone 01626 835236 Alex Hannis BRONZE AGE BUSH CRAFT KNIFE July 20th
10:00am till 5:00pm
The Perang originates from the jungles of Indonesia and it must be one of the most practical designs for a bush craft knife. This perfectly balanced softly curving blade with square end is an ideal choice to show how good ancient bronze tools really were. Today most modern bronzes are soft and designed for casting and not for tensile strength, but 3000 years ago Bronze Age metal workers produced very functional tools. This workshop links Bronze Age metal technology and centuries-old tool design. Tool length 15.5 inches
Cost £45
Peatmoors CentreShapwick Road
Westhay
Glastonbury
Somerset
BA6 9TT
Site Visit Web Site Peat Moors Centre Telephone 01458 860697 HALLSTATT C BRONZE SWORD WORKSHOP September 28th
10:00am till 4:30pm
Spend the day working on your own Hallstatt sword 28 inches long. (Classic Gundlingen Type) This sword represents the final development in bronze swords in Britain. J D Cowen describes it with "flowing lines of considerable elegance". Their are two schools of thought as to the origin of these long slender blades that are unlike any earlier swords. They may have developed from European Urnfield type blades having similar handles, or alternatively they could have developed from the Ewart park sword with the need for a longer sword that could be used from horse back. The different pommel tangs and rivet patterns show that several types of this sword were produced in Britain. In Europe some of the swords have been found in the richest of graves, scabbards tipped with fabulous bronze winged chapes, handles of carved ivory with amber inlays or gold inlayed pommels. In this workshop you will clean and finish your blade and forge the edges on it and look at different handle and scabbard types with information provided.
Cost £120BRONZE AXE WORKSHOP October 18th
10:00am till 4:30pm
Early bronze age Decorated Flanged Axe from Stonehenge This workshop will focus on the archaeology covering many aspects of bronze axe manufacture, with the smelting of copper ores, the alloying of tin with copper, the casting of bronze, forging and hardening of bronze, cleaning and decorating your bronze axe casting. The exquisitely decorated axe featured in this workshop is one of the few axes found close to Stonehenge
Cost £60
Public DemonstrationsSalisbury and South Wiltshire Museum
The King's House
65 The Close
Salisbury
Wiltshire
SP1 2EH
Web Site www.salisburymuseum.org.uk Telephone 01722 332 151 NATIONAL ARCHAEOLOGY DAY July 12th
Demonstrating bronze age casting and dressing young people as bronze age King and Queens.
Avebury Stone Circle
Alexander Keiller Museum
High Street
Avebury
Wiltshire
SN8 1RF
Web Site www.nationaltrust.org.uk Telephone 01672 539 250 PRE HISTORIC GOLD WORKING May 31st
Demonstrating bronze age gold working inside the great barn.PRE HISTORIC BEADS AND CORDAGE October 18th
A lso inside the great barn.