The faerie smith meets the bronze industry
Magic versus science in the interpretation of prehistoric metal-making
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 3918957 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Paul Budd (University of Bradford), T Taylor (0000-0002-6486-0427, University of Bradford) |
| Year | 1995 |
| Volume | 27 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 133-143 |
| Publication date | 1995-06-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | World Archaeology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0043-8243 • E-ISSN: 1470-1375 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/00438243.1995.9980297 |
| OpenAlex | W2052498438 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 102 |
| References cited | 11 |
In this article we address the question of the emergence and development of copper and iron metallurgy in Eurasia in relation to a historical debate within archaeology and archaeometallurgy concerning appropriate technological scales and social organizational models. We believe that the concepts of large‐scale extraction and production and concomitant reconstruction of specialized activities and monoplex social roles that figure strongly in the prevailing, orthodox 'industrial model' are either underdetermined or unsupported by archaeological data. Such concepts represent an anachronistic back‐projection of the modern notion of technological change as driven by rational science. We suggest that ritual and magical dimensions need to be given a more central place in interpretation and hypothesis formulation, and we tentatively suggest a broad social‐developmental perspective that would incorporate them
Anachronism · Archaeology · Bronze Age · Epistemology · Interpretation (philosophy · Linguistics · MAGIC (telescope · Politics · Prehistory · Relation (database · Sociology · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Archaeology and Rock Art Studies · Computer Science · Historical and Cultural Archaeology Studies · History · Philosophy
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| Unique citing works | 102 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 3,4 |
| Citation span | 1996 - 2025 (30) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | Yes |
| Citation types | Neutral: 98 |