In October, the participants in a shared Classics-Engineering metallurgy course undertook an experiment to create bronze the old-fashioned way: as people would have in prehistoric times. The students attempted to turn natural copper and tin ores (malachite and cassiterite) into bronze, using a fire pit and self-made tuyeres and ceramic crucibles. The experiment was only partly successful (just a tiny amount of metal was created), but enough for the class to perform chemical analysis of the final product. Regardless of the outcome, the exercise was nothing if not fun!Back to top
