Spoon making
The archaeologists found that spoon making was a major industry within the new defended settlement. They found hundreds of pieces of broken moulds in a small pit. Each mould was used only once and then thrown into the rubbish pit.
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1. mall pit to the left of the photo but no evidence of a workshop building was found.
How were the spoons made?
The moulds were made from local clay. The clay was pressed against the front and back of a model spoon to make an impression of the spoon in the clay. Then these were joined together into a composite mould for about 16 spoons. Molten metal was poured into the mould and allowed to cool. Then the mould was then broken open to remove the new spoons.
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2. The moulds are all fragments because they were broken open to remove the spoons.
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Why are the spoon moulds important?
The Castleford moulds are unique. They are the best evidence for this type of spoon making in Britain and the western Roman Empire.
Timeline:
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