| Popis: |
All metal objects found on and about the Australian continent can be taken with some certainty to have been introduced by Europeans, because the Australian aboriginal people did not develop a metal culture and were not exposed to one until European exploration commenced. The oldest metal artifacts, which are also those of greatest metallurgical interest, have been found in association with shipwrecks, which abound around the Australian coastline, the earliest occurring in 1622. These sites have provided a rich cource of archaeological material, which had been left undisturbed by man until recently. Fortunately, the disturbance has been carried out mostly by archaeological expeditions instead of by treasure hunters and looters, as has happened all too frequently elsewhere. The artifacts recovered mostly have been items used in hull construction and in ship's fittings and armaments. In some instances, trade cargo including bullion has also been recovered. It has been possible to establish the provenance of all of this material by identifying the vessel concerned and tracing historical records in its home country. The artifacts are often comparatively well preserved, sometimes because they had been protected by an encasing coraline concretion, and so examples of European metallurgical technology covering the important period from some time before until just after the Industrial Revolution have become available for metallurgical investigation. The results of these investigations are reviewed. These artifacts have also provided information on the long-term corrosion behavior of a number of metals and alloys. Some unusual problems and challenges during conservation of the objects for archaeological examination are also of metallurgical interest. |
