Classifying Small Things Recovered: Clinker And Slag From The Bellows Of Big Man Archaeology

Summary

This is a poster submission presented at the 2022 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Sparsely researched in the historical laboratory setting, clinker and slag as artifactual materials are abundant in the archaeological record. In the niche research and reports that mention these small things, definitions, descriptions, and categorizations vary. Together, these often-forgotten waste materials can offer a “ground-up” interpretation of the use of furnaces or metallurgical practices within a particular site. Using the Jackson Farmstead, located in rural Pennsylvania, as a case study this investigation focused on this commonly found, but often ignored, artifact at historical farmstead sites. The Jackson Farmstead was home to Robert H. Jackson, famous as the Chief Prosecutor of the Nuremberg Trials and the sole person to hold the offices of Solicitor General, Attorney General, and Supreme Court Justice within their lifetime. This project clarifies the classification of clinker types and creates a clinker typology applicable to archaeological projects recovering these small, forgotten waste materials at similar sites.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• 2022 SHA Poster Submissions   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2022

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology