Investigating the Provenance and Manufacturing Technology of Medieval Mace Heads from Poland
A mace is a butt weapon that is composed of a metal head that is mounted on a wooden haft. The paper deals with the origins of medieval mace heads that were discovered in Polish lands; these have been a subject of debate since they were first discovered there. In p...
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| Médium: | Article ou chapitre numérique |
| Jazyk: | Français |
| Vydáno: |
2026
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| On-line přístup: | Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM |
| Shrnutí: | A mace is a butt weapon that is composed of a metal
head that is mounted on a wooden haft. The paper deals with the
origins of medieval mace heads that were discovered in Polish lands;
these have been a subject of debate since they were first discovered
there. In previous research, only form and decoration were used to
determine the provenance of these artefacts. A technological analysis
(ED-XRF, SEM) and provenance analysis of the raw material using lead
isotope ratio analysis (MC-ICP-MS) of 5 artefacts from Poland allowed
us to draw a preliminary correlation between the type of raw material
that was used to make the objects and its availability. A mace head
that was discovered along the well-known trade route from the British
Isles along the Oder line in the early Middle Ages was made from raw
material whose lead isotope signature is consistent with ores from the
British Isles, while another example that was discovered to the east
of this route were copper alloys with added lead with isotope ratios
compatible with ores from Upper Silesia-Krakow Upland region. In
juxtaposition with the stylistic forms, the obtained results showed
that a formal analysis alone was not sufficient to determine the place
of manufacture (and could even be misleading at times).
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