Experimental Modeling of Large Diameter Holes Based on Materials of Bronze Age Stone Axes

Abstract

In the Urals, there are more than a hundred products with large-diameter holes, some of which are made using a copper tube. Experiments on hollow drilling in the expedition of S. A. Semenov have shown great complexity of this method. In experiments on drilling it was planned to identify labor costs for the manufacture of copper tube, and also reveal various aspects of drilling techniques. The article presents the results of experiments on drilling different types of stone (soapstone, marble, serpentine and jade) with a copper tube. Experiments have shown that drilling with a brace is 1.5 times more effective than drilling with a borer. And using a copper tube as a drill increased the speed of making holes by 4–7 times. It also turned out that the abrasive used is very important for drilling efficiency. The most effective abrasive was emery, whose deposits are known in the southern Urals. The results obtained allow the authors to establish with great accuracy what drills and with application of what equipment stone axes of Bronze Age were drilled. A comparison of the experimental drills with bronze age drills shows that drilling with a copper tube was often, but not always, performed using a special machine tool. Labor-intensive making stone axes with large diameter holes especially made of strong row materials attest about high social status of their owners.

Keywords

• archaeology
• brace
• copper tube
• soapstone
• marble
• serpentine
• jade