[Doug M]

Originally Posted by B.I

in my opinion, i dont think early persian casting surpassed that of 16thC india, which incorprated techniques still used today (in india or course). not saying indian work was better, but was easily the equal in techinique and quality, and many centuries later.

One should also look at this quote: "This is only my opinion, but I find it hard to believe that in our sophisticated modern age,there were ancient bronze casting techniques that cant be replicated now.Not only have we made massive technological advances in casting but many modern techniques are directly descended from ancient ones.Sometimes the biggest difference can be the modern materials used now alloys,casting medium, ect while the process itself is basically the same." Gentlemen, how many book on ancient Persian castng have you read? How else do you support your opinions?

i have seen the lecture and i feel that he was promoting all things persia, using slight exaggeration. nothing wrong with this.

That is quite a feeling ya got there. Perhaps you should emphasize the logicof this claim and prove it. However, the claim made falls to the wayside when the claim is given a moment's thought.

i have a dealer friend that i share a regular joke with. each piece he shows me is ''the best in the world''. he doesnt actually mean this, he just means his piece is pretty bloody good.
so, i feel the lecturer meant that persian casting was of a high quality, which he expressed by saying it was the ''best in the world''.

Sorry, but your "dealer friend" situation is unrelated.

When you listen to the lecture, you can note that "the lecturer" specifically discusses how difficult it was to cast a grip via the lost wax
process. It should be noted that the people who cast these weapons did so without the use of modern technology, and this is yet to be replicated. Thus, if one wants to find out how MIT students are faring in this challenge to cast such a weapon successfully, one should inquire about it. And one should not be surprised if success has not been reached.

just a salesmans pitch. maybe he is on commission from the iranian tourist board? (joke!!! please dont anyone get offended!!)

If you truly did not mean to offend, why post it if you knew it could offend?

Finally, it is curious that Dr. Feuerbach's review has been ignored. Indeed, the statements here seem to be less about the book and more about the author. Why this is persisting is very strange. Gentlemen, focus on the book, not the author.

Doug M