Bronze Age Gold from Wales

Archaeological excavation at Hafod foundry, Swansea, 21 August 2015. Looking NW at fully excavated crucible furnace inserted at a late phase into the centre of a former reverbatory furnace at the west end of the main foundry building. The furnace comprises three bays to accommodate crucibles; the absence of an adjacent gas producer plant suggests that this was a simple furnace fired by means of packing coke around the crucibles. At the left is the probable flue that would have lead the combustion smoke and combustion products to the stack in the right background. This stack had originally been built as part of the earlier reverbatory furnace. This crucible furnace is likely to have been used for brass founding. See 2015.80/12 for this furnace at an earlier stage of excavation.