Casting pliers

Iron tongs discovered during excavations in 1958 in Kamień Pomorski on an early medieval settlement. The tongs consist of two long, movable arms connected with a rivet and ended with jaws that enable gripping. Initially, they were set in a wooden handle that guaranteed a more secure grip and protected against burning. They were used to lift heated crucibles with liquid metal, then poured into previously prepared moulds. The presence of pincers in the cultural stratification is evidence of the local foundry of non-ferrous metals and the production of small objects from alloys, most probably ornaments. Early medieval casting workshops were also equipped with clay crucibles and clay or stone casting moulds into which liquid metal was poured. A hearth, over which the metal was heated in the crucibles, was also necessary.

Sławomir Słowiński