To view any of our past lectures please visit our YouTube channel.
Forging Iron From The Sky
by Ian Thackray
In 2022, Dorset based blacksmith Ian Thackray put an end to 10 years of personal research by recreating a necklace first made 5200 years ago in ancient Egypt alongside fellow metalworker Will Sherman. Interlacing the beads of lapis lazuli, carnelian, gold and bone, the focal point of the necklace were nine beads of meteoric iron that that fell in Gebel Kamil that were forged using tools and methods that have been long forgotten, but often speculated about.
Since the beads were first discovered in 1911 in Gerzeh, tomb 67 by Flinders Petrie. there have been plenty of theories into not only the origin of the beads but also, how the beads were made and yet, it was not until the summer of 2022 at the Chalke Valley History Festival that they were recreated authentically using contemporary tools and materials from the Predynastic period.
This was based on archaeological evidence (courtesy of the Petrie Museum and the British Museum) as well as using relief carvings and imagery of metalworkers from throughout the Egyptian history.
The techniques used by Ian and his team are the result of time spent using and “getting a feel of” the tools from Predynastic Egypt. The equipment used was a granite anvil, dolomite hammer stones, and wooden tongs.
Exploring the research of Dr Diane Johnson, Professor Thilo Rehren and Timothy McCoy, Ian investigated the theoretical forging methods offered by these academics and compared them to the techniques that he, as a blacksmith, would employ in order to create these delicate beads as well as the information that the physical objects themselves offered to the trained eye.
This event will be both in person at Burlington House and online. Please select the appropriate ticket below.
If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected]