Early Smiths and Masons

 

Bronze figure of a smith (900-800 BC) was discovered in Vranište, Serbia.

This figurine shows a metal worker with mandibular prognathism.

Alice C. Linsley

The ancient rulers were served by expert metal workers and stone masons. The stone masons built the great temples and tombs, and the metal workers fashioned weapons, sacred vessels, and symbols of authority. These early smiths and masons were not slaves. They were respected because of their sophisticated skills.

These craftsmen were specialists who kept their skills secret to protect their position in society. They crafted their pieces away from prying eyes. One way they preserved their secrets was through endogamy. They took as their wives only from their caste, and over time their descendants developed distinctive physical traits. This may explain the physical trait of a prominent chin. 

The condition is called mandibular prognathism and it is a relatively recent development. "A protruding chin was absent in archaic humans and Neanderthals." (Emes, Aybar and Yalcin, 2011 Report of the Evolution of Human Jaws and Teeth, Bulletin of the International Association of Paleodontology, p. 40). 

It appears that the prominent chin was a trait among the early metal workers. Mandibular prognathism is a well-known example of an inherited facial trait in humans. However, it is not apparent in archaic humans. According to Emes, Aybar and Yalcin, "A protruding chin was absent in archaic humans and Neanderthals." (2011 "Report of the Evolution of Human Jaws and Teeth", Bulletin of the International Association of Paleodontology, p. 40.)

The condition is evident in Akhenaten, the father of King Tut. This suggests a connection between the royalty of Egypt and the royal metal workers of Serbia. King Tut's paternal ancestry has been identified as Y-DNA R1b. The oldest R1b-V88 (believed to have differentiated c. 9700 BC) that is found in Africa is also found in Serbia. There also are rare incidences of R1b-V88 in Corsica, Sardinia, and Southern France.

Blacksmiths living in what is today Serbia knew the secret of transforming copper ore into metal copper. Miljana Radivojević has shown that the metal workers of the 7000-year-old Vinča culture were expert smiths.

As metal work requires water sources, it was done near springs and rivers. Many mines and smithing sites are found in the Carpathian Basin with its abundant water sources. This map shows copper smelting sites (red) and iron smelting sites (black) in the Carpathian Basin. Note the abundance of rivers.

Masons of the ancient world

In southern Anatolia stone masons built Catalhoyuk beginning in 7500 BC. The Turkish word catal means fork and hoyuk means mound. This was a settlement built on two mounds (east and west) and a channel of the Çarşamba River once flowed between them. It appears to be one of the earliest examples of twin settlements on opposite sides of the river.

The houses excavated in Catalhoyuk date between 6800-5700 B.C. Recent excavations have identified a shrine or small temple on the eastern side. 

At Horoztepe, in northern Anatolia, masons built royal tombs dating from 2400–2200 BC, the time of Abraham. The burial goods in these tombs are the products of smiths who crafted fine artifacts in copper, bronze, gold, and silver.

Related reading: Serbia, a place where man discovered metal? - Serbia.com; Early Balkan Metallurgy: Origins, Evolution and Society, 6200–3700 BC | SpringerLink; Zoltán Czajlik: Traces of Prehistoric smelting workshops in the Carpathian Basin. In: Sándor Berecki (ed.): Iron Age Crafts and Craftmen in the Carpathian Basin. Proceedings of the International Colloquium from Târgu Mureş, 10-13 October 2013, Târgu Mureş, 2014, 139-146. | Zoltán Czajlik - Academia.edu