02-03-2007, 09:13 PM
It's a subject that's been debated for a long time- whether or not the Romans actually used rollers to finish their sheet metal to an even, smooth and consistent thickness, as opposed to just hammering it that is- but the lack of the discovery of any such machines has made the consideration of the theory purely academic.
Well recently I noticed something that might be considered reasonable evidence of rolling of sheet copper alloy. I was working with a large sheet of brass, which was definitely sized with rollers, and noticed that there were lots of very minor linear scratches on its surface. This made me think of one detail I'd seen on a number of my original lorica segmentata copper alloy fittings- linear, even scratches on the surface that appear too regular and even to be a result of any kind of abrasive treatment (polishing, for example). I've found clear marks of this kind on three separate artifacts- one being extremely clear.
I've attached a close-up shot of the fitting, and the modern brass- interesting similarity, eh? :wink:
Well recently I noticed something that might be considered reasonable evidence of rolling of sheet copper alloy. I was working with a large sheet of brass, which was definitely sized with rollers, and noticed that there were lots of very minor linear scratches on its surface. This made me think of one detail I'd seen on a number of my original lorica segmentata copper alloy fittings- linear, even scratches on the surface that appear too regular and even to be a result of any kind of abrasive treatment (polishing, for example). I've found clear marks of this kind on three separate artifacts- one being extremely clear.
I've attached a close-up shot of the fitting, and the modern brass- interesting similarity, eh? :wink:
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