Composition and decoration of the so-called Zinnfigurenstreifen found in Magdeburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany

Abstract

Archaeological and archaeometallurgical investigations in the last years have shown that Magdeburg in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, was an important centre for pewter casting during the High and Late Middle Ages. This is mainly
based on hundreds of stone moulds, but apart from that, some evidence of medieval pewter artefacts has survived. It is the aim of the following paper to examine one of this pewter objects by means of scientific and metallurgical
analyses in order to give an understanding of its metallurgical composition, manufacture and decoration. Until now such considerations are rare, especially concerning German medieval pewterware.