Development of a preparation method for Bronze Age flanged axes

Abstract This project involved the metallographic examination of Early and Middle Bronze Age axes with respect to their manufacture and processing. The processing from casting to finished axe determines the microstructure and thus the properties required for use – in this case the combination of hardness and ductility – of the object. However, the objects under investigation are valuable cultural assets that must not be destroyed. For this reason, a preparation method was developed that allows the microstructures to be analyzed in a minimally invasive manner so that the objects can be restored. The investigations have shown that all objects have undergone a multi-stage thermomechanical treatment after casting, but to different degrees, resulting in different usability properties.