98 Analyses of Ancient Alloys. 



one instance, has a coin been found to consist of copper alone ; and 

 the only case in which this metal proved to be unalloyed, was in the 

 spear-head, Fig. 4, found in Ireland. The largest proportion of 

 lead occurs in the ancient Roman As, and its parts, in which it was 

 probably employed for the purpose of rendering the alloy of which 

 they consist easily fusible ; for these coins being originally cast and 

 not stamped like other money, a metal melting at a low tempera- 

 ture would materially facilitate this operation. 



The later coins, containing a large proportion of tin, seem to have 

 been struck whilst the metal was still warm, as it would be impos- 

 sible to obtain such sharp impressions as they usually bear, by the 

 force of any blow applied on a metal so very hard and brittle, at 

 ordinary temperatures. 



Pinkerton states, that in the Roman mint, the alloy was first 

 cast into the form of bullets, and that these were afterwards flattened 

 and struck by the die, until an impression of sufficient depth was 

 obtained. The appearance of many both of the Greek and Roman 

 coins, indicates that the form of tlie blank pieces was spherical, but 

 the metal of these very coins, is frequently so brittle, that they may 

 easily be broken by a blow from the hammer, and could not have 

 received their present form without being previously heated and 

 struck whilst the metal was in a pasty state. That this was the 

 method actually employed, is rendered very probable from some of 

 the devices on the coins themselves, particularly on a Denarius of 

 the Carisia family, bearing on the obverse, the head of Moneta, with 

 name ; and on the reverse, the implements used by the Romans 

 in their coinage, viz., two dies, with the hammer and pincers ; which 

 is doubtless a correct representation of the apparatus employed in 

 the Roman mint.* From the presence of the pincers in this design, 

 it is almost certain that the metal was struck hot, as the blank could 

 otherwise be more conveniently placed on the die by the hand, than 

 through the intervention of tongs, which would rather embarrass than 

 facilitate the operation. 



With respect to the furnaces employed by the ancients, little in- 

 formation can be obtained, as these arts were formerly either held 

 as secrets by a few individuals, who made a mystery of their opera- 

 tions, or they were too much despised by ancient authors, to afford 

 them a subject for their writings ; and we are consequently more in- 

 debted for our scanty knowledge of ancient metallurgy to the vestiges 

 of primitive foundries, which have occasionally been brought to light 

 in various parts of the world, than to any accounts which may have 

 been transmitted to us from those remote times. 



The first method of smelting ores, doubtless consisted in placing 

 the mineral in heaps, together with several successive layers of wood, 

 which being kindled, first roasted, and then reduced a portion of the 



* Till on Coins, 7. 



