A Copper Bracelet
As mentioned in a previous article, I determined to craft two different replicas of Nabataean material culture, each of which is not available on the open market.
The first thing I tackled was the subject of jewelry. There have been astounding finds of marvellous, intricate gold earrings, apparently owned and worn by only the very wealthy, or perhaps the royal family. The style, originally pioneered and developed to a high art by the Etruscans, is dominated by incredibly tiny, and precisely sized gold granules (spheres). These earrings are almost overwhelming in their display of artistic craftmanship and technological prowess. Although they are gorgeous in effect, I don’t possess the expertise to pull off such a feat. So I set my sights a bit lower.
Some years ago, a pair of solid copper wrist bracelets were unearthed from excavations at Khirbet ad-Dharih, the 3rd caravan stop north of Petra/Raqmu. The bracelets were hand-forged from copper ingots, and the open ends were embossed with symbols appearing to be palm branches. This seemed a much more achievable project to undertake.
Pounding Metal
I obtained clear B&W photos of one of the bracelets, and then resized the image to reflect the actual width of the original item. Using that image, I carefully measured the diameter of the copper rod used to form the bulk of the bracelet, and also measured the size of the flattened ends which were the substrate for embossing the palm branches.
I obtained some pure copper rod that was just a bit larger diameter than the original, and used a heavy, two-pound hammer to forge it down to the final thickness. I also pounded the open ends flat and wider, to produce the original’s spatulate shape and thickness.
Forging metal with a hammer causes what a metallurgist refers to as “work hardening.” To accomplish more work it is necessary to re-soften the metal by annealing the object at high temperature. I used a propane blow-torch to perform the annealing, but the Nabataeans probably held their work in an open charcoal flame, or used a high temperature kiln. The re-softening was most important immediately prior to embossing the palm branch symbols.
Engraving a Die
To emboss the symbols, I fabricated an iron die. Out of my extensive junk box of metal miscellany I found a 12 mm diameter iron (steel) shank, about 100 mm long. I ground one end flat, and chamfered the edges a bit on opposing sides. I then engraved a palm branch symbol into the flat-ground face, using a secret method (hey, you have to hold some secrets in this world!). This die is probably similar to what the Nabataeans used to stamp/emboss their coinage.
I tested the die on some extra copper I had, to confirm it would work for the bracelet. My experiments here confirmed that the copper would need to be annealed as soft as possible.
While the copper rod was still straight, and after flattening the ends and a final anneal, I lined up the die as carefully as I could, and in a single blow, struck the die with the heavy hammer as forcefully as possible. Pulling the die away, I was pleased with the result, then lined up and struck the bracelet’s other end.
The final mechanical task was bending the copper by hand to the proper, slightly-elliptical shape of the original bracelet. I dropped the item overnight in a solution of commerically available, chemical plant-food, to etch away the carbonized surface, and reveal the pure copper color of the metal. I added the bracelet to the inventory of my Lost City of Petra giveaway.
The resulting item looks very much like the original, authentic jewelry. This is a bracelet that would not have been worn by the queen, but by women of the general population. The palm branch was probably a symbol of fertility and prosperity, and worn proudly by Nabataean women.
My next project— a legal document scroll, written in cursive Nabataean characters.