Brass, Copper, and the Colonial Impact

Maxwell Sickler

At the  November 7 CCASM meeting Maxwell Sickler talked about an archaeological analysis of Native American copper and brass artifacts.  He indicated the sources of copper (mainly the Great Lakes region) used in artifacts from sites predating European contact.  He also compared the form of the copper artifacts recovered from pre-Contact sites in the Middle Atlantic to the form of the copper/brass artifacts recovered from sites dating after European contact.  The artifacts from these later sites included artifacts made from European brass, a copper alloy.  The talk concluded with a question-answer session.

Maxwell Sickler is a recent graduate of St Marys College of Maryland and is currently working with Julia King on an archaeological investigation related to the Rappahannock.

Attendance: 14