Chemical Composition: XRF data from Tracer
Alloy: Bronze
Alloying Elements: copper, tin
Other Elements: lead, iron, nickel, silver, antimony, arsenic
K. Eremin, January 2014
Technical Observations: The patina is a mottled light and dark green with brown. The surface of the mitra is highly polished and is largely original, but the smoothness may have been enhanced during restoration. Some pitting has resulted from corrosion.
This mitra was formed from a sheet of bronze. It was probably cast and then hammered to give it its shape. X-radiography shows that it has an even thickness overall except for thinning in the rib lines. These were formed with pressure from the reverse of the sheet of metal, perhaps by drawing a smooth-pointed tool across the surface. The corroded condition of the surface makes it difficult to confirm this. There is no evidence of chisel marks on the back, such as those observed in other mitrai by Hoffmann (1).
The rounded top edge of the mitra was formed by bending it outward, probably over a wire, and the edges of the rounded section were rolled inward over a finer wire, much like the other mitrai in Harvard’s collection (2). The wires on the inside of the rolled edges are clearly visible in the x-radiograph, except for the upper right section where the edge is hollow. The original wire may not have extended all the way along the bottom edge. The rings inserted into the holes along the top of the mitra were too dense to be penetrated by the x-rays.
The inscription was formed twice. The letters were roughly sketched out in the metal with a fine-tipped tool and then deeper grooves were made to form the final versions of the letters. These were chiseled or punched using a tool with an elongated tip (c. 1 mm long). Multiple hammer blows with this tool created impressions less that 1 mm long and result in relatively continuous lines. The inscription is very crude, unlike the careful craftsmanship that went into forming the fine raised ribs and incised lines decorating the edges of the piece.
NOTES:
1. H. D. Hoffmann and A. E. Raubitschek, Early Cretan Armorers (Mainz, 1972) 17-20.
2. For additional mitrai that are thought to be related to Harvard’s group, see Hoffmann and Raubitschek 1972 (supra 1) esp. 10, 20, and 54-56.
Francesca G. Bewer and Henry Lie (submitted 2000)