De Re Metallica brings together a wide variety of perspectives on metal use in the Middle Ages. Because of its strength, beauty, and prestige, metal figured prominently in many medieval contexts, from the military and utilitarian to the architectural and liturgical. Metal was a crucial ingredient in weapons and waterpipes, rose windows and reliquaries, coinage and jewelry. The 23 essays presented here explore the production and use of such objects.

Contents: Introduction: The Middle Ages as metal ages, Robert Bork; Indices of Identity: Metal for Secular Display: Gold in the ground or just rust in the dust: measuring wealth by metalwork in Anglo-Saxon graves, Gale R. Owen-Crocker; 'Brightness in a time of dark': The Production of Ornamental Metalwork in 9th Century Northumbria, Gabor Thomas; Display of Scandinavian Migration Period Bracteates and Other Pendant Jewelry as a Reflection of Prestige and Identity, Nancy L. Wicker; A Viking Age Brooch Fragment From Recent Excavations at Temple Bar West, Dublin, Niamh Whitfield; Breaking the Mould: A Re-evaluation of Viking Age Mould-Making Techniques for Oval Brooches, Michèle Hayeur Smith; A 13th-Century Signet Ring and its Inscriptions: Between Identity and Power, Magic and Prophylaxis, Elisabeth Antoine; The Savernake Horn: An Oliphant Adorned with Metal, John Cherry. Handling the Holy: Metal Reliquaries and Liturgical Objects: Eucharistic Vessels, Architecture and Liturgical Celebration in Early Medieval Ireland, Michael Ryan; The princess-abbesses of Essen and the golden virgin, Karen Blough; Lorenzo Ghiberti and the Renaissance reliquary: The Shrine of the Three Martyrs from Santa Maria degli Angeli, Florence, Sally J. Cornelison. Mundane Metals: Metals for Everyday Use in War and Peace: Ore, Fire, Hammer, Sickle: Iron Production in Viking Age and Early Medieval Iceland, Kevin P. Smith; What's the point? A metallurgical insight into Medieval arrowheads, David Starley; The History and Development of a 13th-Century Lead Water Conduit: The Carmelites' friary pipe, Bristol, England, Julian Lea-Jones. Strengthening Structures: Metal in Medieval Architecture: A note on Villard de Honnecourt and metal, Carl F. Barnes, Jr.; Solid as a Rock: Poured Lead Joints in Medieval masonry, Jennifer S. Alexander; Metal use at the Cistercian church of Altenberg, Sabine Lepsky and Norbert Nussbaum; Ironwork at the top: a Medieval Jigsaw Puzzle in Salisbury cathedral's spire, A. Ri