I'd like to apologise for the delay in this episode. Last weeks heatwave absolutely destroyed me!

In our fourth episode, we explore how clay leads to ceramics. How do we turn this lump of slimy mud into durable, glazed jars and pots?

References:

• Aitken, M. J. (1985). Thermoluminescence dating. Academic Press.

• Eppler, R. A., & Eppler, D. R. (2000). Glazes and glass coatings. American Ceramic Society.

• Kingery, W. D. (1948). Fundamental study of clay: VIII, a new method for studying the plasticity of clays. Journal of the American Ceramic Society, 31(10), 288–290. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1151-2916.1948.tb14231.x

• Rice, P. M. (2015). Pottery analysis: A sourcebook. University of Chicago Press.

• Velde, B., & Meunier, A. (2008). The origin of clay minerals in soils and weathered rocks. Springer Science & Business Media. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-75674-3

Script writing, recording and editing done by me, Jake. Sound effects and backing music from Pixabay.

Noticed a mistake? Let me know at thechemistrytimelinepod@gmail.com

Fancy making a shiny new cover art, or a unique theme song, reach out to me using the email above to discuss.

In the third episode of this season, we explore why the iron age didn't come first. How did we come to use metal? What did it do to early empires? Where did an unlikely object shatter the understanding of rusting? Find out in this episode.

References:

• Comelli, D., et al. (2016). The meteoritic origin of Tutankhamun's iron dagger blade. Meteoritics & Planetary Science, 51(7), 1301-1309.

• Wertime, T. A., & Muhly, J. D. (1980). The Coming of the Age of Iron. Yale University Press.

• Balasubramaniam, R. (2000). On the Corrosion Resistance of the Delhi Iron Pillar. Corrosion Science, 42(12), 2103-2129.

• Reardon, A. C. (2011). Metallurgy for the Non-Metallurgist. ASM International.

Script writing, recording and editing done by me, Jake. Sound effects and backing music from Pixabay.

Noticed a mistake? Let me know at thechemistrytimelinepod@gmail.com

Fancy making a shiny new cover art, or a unique theme song, reach out to me using the email above to discuss.

In our second episode, we look at how humans went from simple stones, to magnificent metal. How did we come to use copper? Where did we get it from? And what were the challenges of creating bronze? Find out in this latest episode.

References:

• Kradradjee, B., & Charles, J. A. (1980). The first metallurgists: Smelting and alloying in the ancient Near East. Journal of Archaeological Science, 7(3), 211–230.

• Pernicka, E. (2014). Provenance determination of archaeological metal objects. In Roberts, B. W., & Thornton, C. P. (Eds.), Archaeometallurgy in Global Perspective (pp. 239–268). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9017-3_10

• Radivojević, M., Rehren, T., Pernicka, E., Šljivar, D., Brauns, M., & Borić, D. (2010). On the origins of extractive metallurgy: New evidence from Europe. Journal of Archaeological Science, 37(11), 2775–2787. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2010.06.012

• Roberts, B. W., Thornton, C. P., & Pigott, V. C. (2009). Development of metallurgical technologies in the ancient world. World Archaeology, 41(4), 512–522. https://doi.org/10.1080/00438240903345134

• Wertime, T. A. (1973). The beginnings of metallurgy: A new look. Science, 182(4115), 875–887. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.182.4115.875

Script writing, recording and editing done by me, Jake. Sound effects and backing music from Pixabay.

Noticed a mistake? Let me know at thechemistrytimelinepod@gmail.com

Fancy making a shiny new cover art, or a unique theme song, reach out to me using the email above to discuss.

Chapters:

(00:00) Intro

(02:50) Act 1 - Extraction Chemistry: The Smelting Breakthrough

(07:46) Act 2 - The Crystal Lattice & The Arsenic Gamble

(12:19) Act 3 - Enter Tin: The Geopolitical Atom

(15:32) Act 4 - The Collapse and the Chemistry of Yesterday

(17:56) Conclusion