Making The Bronze Age; Bellwood Riverside Park, Perth, Scotland

Back in my own workshop, in Rothbury, Northumberland, after a weekend as part of a re-enactment event on the banks of the beautiful Tay.  What a great event this was and I am delighted to have been a part of is, organised by the Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust (PKHT).  ‘Making the Bronze Age’ brought together Archaeo-Craftspeople and Re-enactors from the UK and Germany to demonstrate some of the skills that created the wonderful artefacts that have been found in Scotland and beyond. 

I spent the weekend, ably assisted by Sarah Winlow of (PKHT), teaching participants to make beakers and food vessels from natural clay and open firing Bronze Age replicas.  If you missed it and would like to see something like it take place next year contact me or the Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust and let us know. Among those involved were:

Neil Burridge: Ancient Bronze Specialists http://www.templeresearch.eclipse.co.uk/bronze/index.htm

who ran several bronze sword castings during the course of the weekend.  Watching molten bronze, stream into a clay mould and emerge as a beautiful bronze sword is nothing short of wizardry.  It’s no wonder that people of the past saw founders and smiths as beings from another dimension, controlling forces that weren’t quite of this earth.  I know from my own discipline that the control and use of fire is still considered to be something magical.

Damian Goodburn: Ancient Woodworking Specialist, who along with numerous assistants including Trevor Cowie of the National Museums of Scotland and David Strachan of PKHT, created a replica of the Ballachulish Goddess or Ballachulish Figure.  The original figure, dating from the Bronze Age, was found on the side of Loch Leven in 1880.  While photographs taken at the time show a remarkable state of preservation, the Victorian archaeologists had no knowledge of conservation techniques for wet timber and in the process of drying out the figure has shrivelled to be virtually unrecognisable.  It can still be seen in the Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh but working with replica bronze tools and guided by the original photographs, drawings and measurements, this replica attempted to present her as she would have looked when newly made.  

The Crannog Centre http://www.crannog.co.uk/ demonstrated the uses of some of the many plant species that have been excavated from Loch Tay, around the ancient crannog.  Nettle soup and hand dyed wool was the order of the day.

German re-enactment group Stamm Alauni www.stamm-alauni.at who, dressed in authentic replica costume and armour and using weapons, tools and utensils of the period, presented an insight into life in the Bronze Age across Europe.

Twist Fibre Craft Studio http://www.twistfibrecraft.co.uk/ demonstrated spinning and weaving and Archaeoloink http://www.archaeolink.co.uk/ showed how cord and rope was made from natural plant fibres and bark bast.

I spent the weekend teaching participants to make beakers and food vessels from natural clay and open firing Bronze Age replicas.  If you missed it and would like to see something like it take place next year contact me and I’ll pass on your comments to the Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust.  If you were there let me know what you thought of it.

 Visit my website at www.pottedhistory.co.uk