Roman metalworking in northern Italy between archaeology and archaeometry: two case studies

Recent excavations carried out at the Università Cattolica in Milan and at the Seminario Vescovile in Verona supplied significant evidence of Roman metalworking, thus enhancing our knowledge of various aspects of this industry in the area. Slags found testify several kinds of metalworking processes: iron working, bronze casting, brass-making (in Milan) and silver refining (in Verona). Significant technological informations came from a largescale bronze casting at Verona. Amounts of clay investment moulds for large objects were found along with casting pits, hearths and slags which provide a new insight of the casting techniques used at that time. A few assemblages of much smaller clay moulds used to make parts of vessels and other small objects were found in Milan, thus allowing a comparison between the materials employed and the skills required for the two productive processes. Moreover, the width of both excavations allowed a better understanding of the layout of the manufacturing areas within the pattern of urban development, enhancing our knowledge of roman workshops’ structures. Metalworking evidence has been studied with a multi- disciplinal approach which has taken into account not only archaeometrical analyses, but also ethnoarchaeological parallels and the study of the written sources. The aim was not only to understand technological aspects, but also to have an insight of their social and cultural environment.