#pyrotechnology

Liz Butler Draws The ROM: What Artifacts Can Tell Us About Ancient Technology

Hi ROMKids!

Over the winter holidays, I wandered and wondered around the Museum, drawing brilliant artifacts and specimens! This is a review of some of those awesome objects.

The ROM is home to some remarkable ancient artifacts that tell us a surprising amount about the people who lived on the earth millennia before us, including the technologies they used.

One particular area of expertise that had a huge impact on early human civilizations around the world was pyrotechnology. The word ‘pyrotechnology’ might make you think of explosives or fireworks, but in fact includes any technology that incorporates the use of fire. This includes glassmaking, metallurgy, and the making of ceramics. Many examples of the results of these processes can be found in the Wirth Gallery of the Middle East.

During my visit to the gallery, I focused on drawing some of these objects, including the ROM’s famous striding lion, from the throne room of King Nebuchadnezzar II.  Glazed ceramics or bricks, like the striding lion, would have had to have been fired (or baked) twice, to both harden the clay and to fix the colourful glaze.

The other artifact I focused on was a metal vessel covered in ornate patterns. Metallurgy is a fascinating process that vastly changed the lives of ancient people, and continues to be an important part of manufacturing today (although in very different forms). In a basic sense, metallurgy requires physically extracting metals from the earth (mining) and then heating the metal, to first separate it from any unwanted, surrounding material, and later again to either form alloys or shape the metal into a wanted design.

Have you ever visited a glass studio or a smith’s shop? Why do you think these processes are still used today?

More info:

Liz Butler is an artist and teacher who loves natural history and museums. She loves drawing, painting, and making crafts of all kinds. She is happiest when she can find ways to combine art projects with science content.

Liz’s Website – Liz Butler Draws, Liz’s Blog – Saw Whet Studio

Find EVERY post of Liz Butler Draws The ROM HERE!

Do you like to sketch? Love museums? Are you a full time student in Canada? The ROM is yours to explore, FREE, every Tuesday! MORE!