Early Medieval gombiky from the “Lumbe Garden” cemetery, Prague Castle
Gombiky du début du Moyen-Âge provenant du cimetière "Lumbe Garden", Château de Prague
Résumé
This paper presents a typological and technical study of gombiky (hollow spherical pendants) from the
excavations of the Early Medieval cemetery “Lumbe’s Garden” in Prague Castle, in which the state elite
linked to the early Czech princely environment was buried. The goal of the research is the
characterization of the material and the manufacturing techniques. The Gombiky were characterized
by optical stereomicroscope (Olympus SZ60), X-radiography, scanning electron microscopy (SEM),
supplemented by electron microanalysis (EDS), and metallographic examination. Replicas were
manufactured by a goldsmith.
The typological and material study evidenced five main types of gombiky, according to the shells’
shape, the decorative technique, and the material.
Most of the pieces were of unalloyed copper or copper alloys with a small amount of tin (ca. 2%) and were
fire-gilt. The different components are soldered with an Ag–Cu hard solder. A pair of gombiky was made of
almost pure silver with ca. 2% of copper. A gold alloy was also identified. The gombiky are decorated by
chasing and repoussé, but also with granulation and filigree work, glass cabochons, and gilding.
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