Step 1 of 8

The Haifa ingots

Haifa - Map by Cid Swanenvleugel

Haifa - Map by Cid Swanenvleugel

This (maybe at first sight somewhat uninspiring) object is an ingot. It is one of the four existing Haifa ingots, named after the place where they were found (Fig. 1.). They are 4 cm thick and about the size of a sheet of A4 paper. The word ingot comes from Old English in and goten ‘pouring’. That what is being ‘poured’ is a mass of metal, ‘into’ casting molds, getting them ready for easy transportation.

These three ingots can tell us a lot about the economy and commercial contacts of the Late Bronze Age.