| Such abundant resources of metal can be surprising on a site of
the year one thousand. On the site of Colletière, more than 3 500
metallic elements have been listed. |
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From the most simple horse shoe nail to the woodcutter's axe, riding
equipment, domestic utensils, everything has been either abandoned or lost by
the inhabitants, obviously not very concerned about finding them. |
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| As a large number of certain kinds of tools and their making
implements was found, searchers have put forward the hypothesis that there had
been a production workshop on the site itself. |
| This craft activity seems to have only one stage : the forge
activity (but probably not the refining of iron, which was made elsewhere).
The metallurgical techniques were perfectly adapted to the quality in demand for
knifes with hardened steel blades, agricultural tools in less pure metal,
carefully welded weapons, objects that had been tinplated to protect them from
corrosion or to embellish them. |
