THE .MIDDLE CIVILIZATIONS 



17 



Isthmian Gold Work. The "wire technique" of 

 the gold art of the Isthmian region, repeats, as we have 

 seen, the pottery technique of the Archaic Horizon. In 

 addition to plain and hollow casting, two kinds of gold 

 plating were carried to perfection by the ancient metal 

 workers : one a heavy plating over copper and the other 

 a thin gilding. The manner in which this plating was 



Fig. 67. Conventional Crocodiles from Costa Rica and Panama. 



done is still uncertain. It has been suggested that the 

 molds were lined with leaf gold or sprinkled with gold 

 dust before the baser copper was poured in. Many 

 ornaments are of pure beaten gold and have designs in 

 repousse. 



The gold objects are found in stone box graves along 

 with pottery and stone carving.-. Gold is taken from 

 only a small percentage of the graves, probably those of 

 chief-. A systematic rifling of the ancient cemeteries 



