Caroline Tulp Nigel Meeks

Abstract

Excavation of the dwelling mound of Tjitsma in Friesland produced an important small bronze die with a geometric cross-hatched pattern. The pattern was recognised as being very similar to those on gold foils commonly found in gold and garnet jewellery of the 6th-7th centuries, from both Merovingian and Anglo-Saxon contexts. It is the first die to be found with a ‘boxed’ pattern. The die is a
lost wax casting and is fully described here, with the pattern compared to gold foils in garnet jewellery. It is in a ‘positive’ form which makes it unusual, because patterned gold foils were generally thought to have been punched with negative dies. The method of producing the model of the complex pattern for lost wax casting is investigated. Danish dies of simpler pattern are also described.

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References
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How to Cite
The Tjitsma (Wijnaldum) die: a 7th century tool for making a cross-hatched pattern on gold foil, or a master template?. (2022). Historical Metallurgy, 34(1), 13-24. https://hmsjournal.org/index.php/home/article/view/292
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