The evolution of strength, elasticity and rupture behaviour of birch tar made with ‘double‐pot’ techniques during tar cooking
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 8353129 |
|---|---|
| Authors | P Schmidt (0000-0002-8727-6127, Department of Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen Germany, corresponding author), Tabea J Koch (0000-0001-9907-2554, Department of Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen Germany), Christoph Berthold (0009-0005-1369-1044, Applied Mineralogy, Department of Geosciences Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen Germany), Frieder Lauxmann (Applied Mineralogy, Department of Geosciences Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen Germany), Klaus G Nickel (0000-0002-6986-2982, Applied Mineralogy, Department of Geosciences Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen Germany) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 65 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 409-422 |
| Publication date | 2023-04-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Archaeometry (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0003-813X • E-ISSN: 1475-4754 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/arcm.12820 |
| OpenAlex | W4292121881 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 6 |
| References cited | 15 |
Birch tar was the first adhesive produced by humans. Its study has consequences for our understanding of human evolution and the development of specialised craftsmanship. One of the better‐documented birch tar making methods is the ‘double‐pot’ technique, where two containers are used, one containing bark, the other collecting the tar. Birch tar made with double‐pots has low viscosity and bad adhesive properties. To obtain a usable adhesive, it must be reduced in volume by cooking. We investigate the evolution of tar’s mechanical properties during cooking. We use lap‐shear tests to investigate strength, stiffness and failure behaviour. We found that tar must be cooked for 90 min to acquire adhesive properties. When cooked for longer, strength and stiffness increase over a 30 min lasting time span. Cooking for even longer, beyond this 30 min window, produced a substance that could no longer be used as an adhesive. The implications are that tar cooking requires a high level of skill because specific signs indicating the desired properties must be recognised during the process. Tar cooking constitutes a supplementary investment in time and resources and appears to be associated with a certain degree of risk
Adhesive · Composite material · Layer (electronics · Pulp and paper industry · Stiffness · tar (computing · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Computer Science · Engineering · Materials Science · Metallurgy and Cultural Artifacts · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology
Potential and limitations of adhesive identification on museum curated metal objects
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Chemical analyses reveal dual functionality of Early Mesolithic birch tar at Krzyż Wielkopolski (Poland)
Adhesive Strength and Rupture Behaviour of Birch Tars Made with Different Stone Age Methods
Lap-shear and compression testing of ethnographic compound adhesives and implications for archaeology
The molecular composition of birch tar and its infrared spectrum
Middle Paleolithic complex technology and a Neandertal tar-backed tool from the Dutch North Sea
Experimental methods for the Palaeolithic dry distillation of birch bark
The aceramic production of Betula pubescens (downy birch) bark tar using simple raised structures. A viable Neanderthal technique
Birch Bark Tar Production
Earliest use of birch bark tar in Northwest China
Laboratory strength testing of pine wood and birch bark adhesives
A new Palaeolithic discovery
The formation conditions of birch tar in oxygen-depleted environments
| Unique citing works | 6 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 2 |
| Citation span | 2023 - 2026 (4) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 5 |