A Metal Tool Hoard From Alexandreia Troas

This study investigates a collection of metal tools that were fortuitously discovered in 2018 within the rural area of Alexandria Troas, a prominent coastal city in the region of Troad. The assemblage comprises 32 metal artifacts, including 29 tools and three iron ingots. Among the tools are agricultural and everyday implements such as sickles, scythes, hammers, double-bladed axes, pitchforks, hoes, and plowshares. The iron tools exhibit characteristics similar to those found in hoards previously unearthed in Asia Minor. This study describes and compares the artifacts, evaluating their functions through both excavated parallels and depictions preserved in various genres of Byzantine art. The forms of the artifacts are particularly noteworthy, as they illustrate the continuity of hand tools used in agricultural life from the Roman to the Late Byzantine periods. This continuity implies that neither agricultural practices nor related craft traditions underwent significant changes during this era. In this context, the study contributes to the cultural history of the region by documenting the production tools utilized during the Byzantine period, specifically within Troas. Based on analogical analysis, these tools are suggested to date to the late Middle Byzantine and early Late Byzantine periods

Agriculture · Byzantine architecture · Craft · Hoard · Parallels · Prehistory · Spear · Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology and History · Byzantine Studies and History · Metallurgy and Cultural Artifacts

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