ROMAN SHEARS: METALLOGRAPHY, COMPOSITION AND A HISTORICAL APPROACH TO INVESTIGATION

The earliest archaeological finds of shears are documented by Petrie, and are attributed to the Roman period in Central Europe. Although some catalogues from museums display pictures of scissors or shears, to date there have been very few analytical studies examining Roman iron scissors or shears. The current study investigates two Roman shears housed in the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, and focuses on the technological aspects of their production and the knowledge possessed by ancient smiths concerning the material they used. Metallographic studies and microchemical analysis have been performed on these artifacts in order to better understand the material used and the production of the objects. Several unique features were found, including the presence of precipitates within ferrite grains. Using advanced compositional mapping techniques on the electron microprobe, we were able to identify the microchemistry of these precipitates and relate their presence to the fabrication processing. This project serves as an example of how advanced modern analytical techniques can be used within an archaeological/anthropological context to enhance and expand on our knowledge of ancient materials and the peoples who produce and use them