Mining Technology

This sub-collection includes objects used in mining and ore processing, treatment of metals and production of coins. Practically all objects come from Kutná Hora or the Kutná Hora mining district, most frequently dating back to the 15th-17th centuries.

The core of the collection is comprised of old acquisitions by Vocel Archaeological Society from the late 19th century and the first decades of the 20th century. Additional material was acquired thanks to cooperation with Rudné Doly (Ore Mines) Kaňk in the second half of the 20th century or through acquisition from private donors.

The sub-collection comprises nearly 2200 collection items registered under more than 300 inventory and accession numbers. It is divided into 3 sections, however, in some cases such division has not been strictly observed: BT 1 - mining – tools for breaking the ore (wedges, hammers, pikes, picks and hoes), transport of persons and ore (ladders, horse-powered driving wheel, windlasses), water pumping (pipes from a water-pumping machine, troughs), lamps (mostly earthen and tin-pan lamps), adzes, etc.

BT 2 - metallurgy – melting-pots, cradles (rocker boxes)

BT 3 - minting – melting-pots, earthen slag pots, cupels and other technical ceramics, tongs, smelting rings/eyelets, mixers, etc.

Most of the collection items from the Vocel Archaeological Society were catalogued in 1963. The entries correspond to contemporary concepts and will require reviewing. At the same time, numerous copies and models were registered in the collection that were later discarded and assigned to the study material.