Historians, by virtue of humanitarian thinking, as always, everything is simple: if someone once wrote and painted, they, like children, believe that everything was so, for example, in the 16-17 centuries, forges in the Russian Empire numbered hundreds, the range of iron products is wide, to make braids - guano question.
But real blacksmiths collecting old anvils, on the contrary, had a question - where were the anvils before the 18th century? The question is even posed like this: "Was there a boy?"
Let me remind you of the line of reasoning that made me inquire about the state of blacksmithing before the 19th century. Estimating the number of horses and cows in the Russian Empire - making hay for the winter, we need scythes. At the end of the 19th century, there were more than 20 million horses in Russia alone, respectively, at the same time, the Vileika plant, Artinsky and others make braids in millions, there is a handicraft production of braids in the villages, and even a large import. In discussions, commentators and factories of the 18th century led, and they hoped for village smithies.
Let's look even further, into the 17th century. Historians cheerfully write, for example, in the collection of Essays on Russian Culture of the 17th century. Part one. Material culture. State system \\ Ed. A. V. Artsikhovsky - Moscow: Moscow State University Publishing House, 1979 - p. 352, chapter Processing trades and crafts:
“The equipment of the forges where the described items were made was not complicated. It consisted of one or more anvils, hammers, barbs, pincers, nails, chisels and notches, “that they cut through the iron” (Investigation cases …, vol. IV, p. 405).
“The growth of the commercial importance of Ustyug began in the middle of the 17th century. In the 40s. XVII century there were more than 20 shops, barns and other commercial premises in the city's trading area. Iron and steel products represented the main branch of the city's handicraft industry. Ustyug blacksmiths supplied the market with a rich and varied assortment of metal products: hammers, pliers, anvils, knives, cutters, saws, drills, tongs, sickles, openers, scythes, pitchforks, axes, shovels, spades, staples, nails, horseshoes, pans, boilers, locks, keys, chains, etc."
Well, what about the massive archaeological finds of braids, sickles and other assortment until the 19th century? Historians explain this by the fact that the metal is thin, they are not preserved. And the anvils? There is the thickest metal. And if the forges were full, then the anvils should be like mud, they are also not eternal, they break.
When meeting with blacksmiths, that is, with reality, not only the horns of the anvils break off, but also those of historians.
Promotional video:
At the forum “Very old anvils”, a blacksmith, a researcher of the history of blacksmithing production Kupryashin writes: “As for the early material [up to the 18-19th centuries], not a single anvil has been found in the city of Tver and the region for 20 years of archaeological work. I do not know of such finds from the central part of Russia. We generally have a question: "was there a boy?" With anvils as weapons - like everyone fought with swords, but there are no reliable finds in the central part of Russia. In addition to European, mainly the Viking era and later, one-and-a-half and two-handed with clear European counterparts. The Russian sword is a big question. Likewise, anvils before the 18th century."
It began with the fact that a certain "Vladimir Alexandrovich" posted a photo of his new "old anvil", apparently assessing its age according to historical books: "I think this is the 10th - 12th century":
Kupryashin explains: “Vladimir Alexandrovich, your“old Russian”anvil is probably a little over a hundred years old. Such rectangular shapes were used in the manufacture of nails and other little things. It is interesting that they were set in stone. Or, as the old masters used to say: "they have inserted". Such an anvil served up to 3 years."
By the way, they were “embedded” into such “blacksmith's” stones, which some hotheads are ready to give a mystical or cultic character only because their origin and purpose are not clear. The notch in the stone corresponds to the dimensions of the lower edge of the anvil 10x10 cm, the general view of the stone, the notch is large, the scale is 20 cm:
So the old-looking anvil was made at the beginning of the 20th century. The first one-piece anvils appeared in Europe at the end of the 19th century, and before that the anvils were traditionally forged with a separate "face" welded by forge welding, that is, the working surface.
Kupryashin cites his photographs as an example: “These anvils look 15th century, but alas, these are 20-30s of the 20th century. The holes in them were used for setting the mandrel when making bolts. The second is currently being used to pierce the scythe. Scale bar 20 cm:
“These are my photos. Tver region Kalininsky district with. Vasilievskoe - once the center of nail production, widely known. The inhabitants of the village still have anvils, the second from above and the lower one are on the street near the house. They flatly refuse to sell. I do research on the blacksmith industry myself."
Vladimir Alexandrovich reacted quite adequately: “Thank you. Kupryashin, Sharap, dating must be done carefully, it is absolutely accurate and correct.
Moreover, I will say that infa about trades, about the proximity in Russia at the beginning of the 20th century of developed industrial technologies with techniques and tools that have not changed since the days of hoary antiquity, makes you think about a lot. Most of these “old instruments” found in Russia are actually products of the 19th, maximum of the 18th century.
When I posted pictures of my instrument on an American forum, one expert said such wonderful words that one should not confuse an ancient and a primitive instrument. With the dating of anvils in Europe, England and America, the situation is somewhat simpler, there have always been different brands, brands, firms, according to their labels and the distinctive form-building features of the anvil itself (the presence - absence of any parts, holes), one could confidently date it with accurate to ten years, if not a year. From the point of view of technology, everything is also described in detail, a traditional European (English, and then American) anvil is a body welded in a forge from several parts with a plate welded on top - a "face".
Until the anvils were found until the 18th century, it remains only to consider the pictures with which historians illustrated the above-cited monograph on Russian material culture of the 17th century.
A fragment on which the anvil with a horn is clearly visible, and the complete image of the Forging of the cross. Miniature of the 17th century Synodikon (State Historical Museum, department of manuscripts, Museum collection, No. 2908, fol. 8).
How to relate to such pictures that do not have material evidence? So far, I do not see any compelling reasons to reject the version of the same stylization "for antiquity" as in the modern miniature of the Palekh casket "Beekeeper":
Anyone who does not know anything can easily mistake it for an ancient image, and those who have read at least a short retrograde history of beekeeping can easily recognize the frame hive - an invention of the 19th century.
In addition, it is always worth remembering the words of an American expert: “one should not confuse an ancient and a primitive instrument” and study technologies, instruments and other items of the nearest past of the 19th and early 20th centuries, before concluding about the monstrous antiquity of what was found.
PS A small addition for those who find everything easy and simple on paper / keyboard.
Already quoted from proprietary historians:
“Ustyug blacksmiths supplied a rich and varied range of metal products to the market: hammers, pliers, anvils, knives, cutters, saws, drills, tongs, sickles, openers, scythes, pitchforks, axes, shovels, spade, staples, nails, horseshoes, pans, boilers, locks, keys, chains, etc."
Real blacksmiths write: “Making an anvil weighing even only 15 kg with a horn is a HUGE task. I can't imagine how a blacksmith with an apprentice or even two can solve it."
“The equipment of the forges where the described items were made was not complicated. It consisted of one or more anvils, hammers, barbs, pincers, nails, chisels and notches, “that they cut through the iron” (Investigation cases …, vol. IV, p. 405).
"A simple tool of a village smithy and, in combination, an engineer":
It is easy to arrogantly argue about the primitiveness, simplicity and simplicity of the instrument from the standpoint of a person who lives on everything ready-made. It is much more difficult not to do it, but at least just imagine how even these "simple" tools did and what could be done with their help as a result. Without them there would be no present, it's time to change the humanitarian thinking to technical and everything will be obvious.