An as-cast specimen of Silver-Copper Alloy, scale bar = 1/200 cm. (Image courtesy of Prof. Heather Lechtman.)
Instructor(s)
Prof. Heather Lechtman
MIT Course Number
3.094
As Taught In
Spring 2004
Level
Undergraduate
Course Description
Course Highlights
This course features a detailed laboratory manual with specimen images and a thorough list of necessary supplies in the tools section.
Course Description
This course examines the ways in which people in ancient and contemporary societies have selected, evaluated, and used materials of nature, transforming them to objects of material culture. Some examples are: glass in ancient Egypt and Rome; sounds and colors of powerful metals in Mesoamerica; cloth and fiber technologies in the Inca empire. It also explores ideological and aesthetic criteria often influential in materials development. Laboratory/workshop sessions provide hands-on experience with materials discussed in class. This course complements 3.091.