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Hephaestus and Vulcan -

In ancient Greek mythology, Hephaestus is the god of blacksmiths and fire. Also known as "the celestial artificer," he was traditionally associated with other craftsmen too, including sculptors, carpenters, and metalworkers. Hephaestus' Roman counterpart is Vulcan.

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Iron Age -

Blacksmiths have been around for centuries, in fact since 1000 BCE when people started to use iron instead of bronze for their weapons and tools.

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The Romans -

The Romans insisted their weaponry be forged out of the finest steel available. In fact, iron and steel were used extensively in construction and for tools and weapons. Pictured is a 1st-century relief of a blacksmith at work in Este, Padova province, Italy.

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The medieval era -

In the Middle Ages, blacksmithing and metallurgy were considered part of the set of seven mechanical arts— the medieval concept of ordered practices or skills.

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Working in the 14th century -

The lower part of this 1317 manuscript illustration from a work on the life of Saint Denis (died circa 258 CE) shows a baker, a blacksmith, and a man with a donkey.

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Worth their weight in gold -

A skilled blacksmith was worth his weight in gold. Right up until the Industrial Revolution, blacksmiths made most of the iron and steel objects used in the world by hand. Besides always-in-demand horseshoes, common items a blacksmith would have crated include bolts, nails, and screws, hammers, fasteners, axes, assorted tools, and carriage and cart wheel rims. 

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Creating armor -

The blacksmiths' art was particularly prized in the creation of personal armor. This example is Italian, circa 1400–1450.

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The bascinet -

By the late 14th century, the bascinet had appeared, a medieval European open-faced military helmet. The original caption to this photograph suggests the example shown is possibly French, circa 1375–1425, and said to have been worn in battle by Joan of Arc.

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Field armor -

Suits of armor were favored by armies and chivalrous knights. Pictured is field armor commissioned by Hapsburg emperor Maximilian I circa 1510 and created by esteemed Augsburg armorer Lorenz Helmschmied (1450–1515). His technologically innovative designs and intricate metalworking style made him one of the finest armorers of the 15th and early 16th centuries. He was active at the Hapsburg, Mantua, and Urbino courts between 1467 and his death in 1515.

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Plate armor -

A knight depended on his horse both as a weapon and a means of defense. He therefore had to take great care to protect his charger. In Europe, plate armor—the iconic suit of armor entirely encasing the wearer—  reached its peak in the late 15th and early 16th centuries.

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Weaponry -

Medieval combatants depended as much on their weapons as their personal armor. This beautifully made rapier dated back to 1490 would have been crafted by a master bladesmith. Bladesmiths employ a variety of metalworking techniques similar to those used by blacksmiths.

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Shields -

Shields were regarded as a statement of the blacksmiths' art as much as a means of defense. This late 18th-century Persian shield, or sipar, is crafted from iron, steel, gold, and velvet, and embellished with Arabic calligraphy.

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Blacksmiths' company -

This silver-gilt staff head belonging to the London-based Blacksmiths' Company dates back to 1659. The design features a phoenix rising from the flames upon a crown, which is the company's crest. The staff head has been fashioned into the shape of a hammer. Their motto "By Hammer and Hand All Arts Do Stand" has also been engraved on the staff head.

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Forge and fuel -

The original fuel for forge fires was charcoal, later replaced by coal across Britain and much of Europe in the late 17th century and during the 19th century in the United States.

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Village smithy -

In England and elsewhere prior to the Industrial Revolution, a forge was found in almost every town. As a workplace it was often referred to as the "village smithy."

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Tools for the job -

A blacksmith had at his disposal a bewildering array of tools. Principal items included an anvil, a vice, hammers, and tongs. Their skillsets and the vital role they played in everyday life made blacksmiths highly regarded in their community.

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Old West -

A farrier, a specialist in equine hoof care, was an essential individual in the age before automobiles became widely used. This was especially so in the Old West of the United States. Pictured in 1885 in Susanville, California is a farrier shoeing a horse while a blacksmith and a wheelwright stand nearby with their tools of the trade.

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Household items -

Besides shoeing, a blacksmith could turn his hand to manufacturing all sorts of various tools, household objects, kitchen utensils, weapons, and armor.

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Candlestick -

The candelabra, which first made its appearance in the medieval era, and later evolved into the chandelier, was often highly decorative and ornate, made as they were by goldsmiths or silversmiths. For the less well off, a candlestick had to suffice. In the age before gaslight and electricity, the candlestick was one of the most common household items fashioned by blacksmiths. Pictured is an 18th-century candlestick and rush light (miniature torch) holder.

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Cauldron -

A cauldron, a large pot or kettle for boiling or cooking over an open fire, was another popular household object created by blacksmiths. Cauldrons also served an industrial purpose as a vessel in which to manufacture various foodstuffs.

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Developing world -

In the developing world the blacksmith was—and still is—highly regarded for his skills. Every village relied on his handiwork for making weaponry, cooking utensils, shoeing horses and cattle, as well as his ability to repair or replace vital equipment.

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Female blacksmith -

Female blacksmiths are not unheard of. Women have been working as blacksmiths for centuries and some of the earliest documentation dates back 800 years.

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The farrier -

The Industrial Revolution saw the transition to new manufacturing processes in Europe and the United States, a development that included going from hand production methods to machines. As machinery and mass production increased, the demand for blacksmithing products declined, leaving blacksmiths primarily occupied in farrier work. The military employed hundreds of blacksmiths to shoe thousands of horses.

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First World War -

The 20th century saw a gradual decline in the blacksmiths' art. However, the First World War saw the need for women especially to run forges and take on responsibilities traditionally assigned to men. Pictured in 1917 is a female blacksmith at the Kensington War Hospital supply depot in London.

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"Arbeit macht frei" -

During the Second World War, Polish master blacksmith Jan Liwacz ended up in the Auschwitz concentration camp. The SS, recognizing his metalworking skills, ordered him to make the now infamous "Arbeit macht frei" ("work will make you free") slogan over the camp's main entrance gate. Pictured are survivors of Auschwitz leaving the camp in February 1945.

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Act of defiance -

Look closely at the sign. It shows a peculiarity on the letter 'B.' Liwacz, in a brave but subtle act of defiance, welded the 'B' in arbeit upside down, which he knew would infuriate the meticulous and strict Nazis. Incredibly, Liwacz survived the war: he died in 1980. The original sign is now in storage at the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum. What you see today is a replica, put over the gate in its place.

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Mobile forge -

Industrialization, at least in the Western world, saw a gradual decline in the need for blacksmiths and the skill was seen as an obsolete trade through much of the 20th century. Pictured in 1955 is a blacksmith making concessions to the modern age by taking himself out on the road as a mobile smithy and using a motorbike as a mobile forge.

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Blacksmithing today -

Blacksmithing today has redeveloped into a unique community of artists who are specialized in their skillsets.  Blacksmiths like the late great Philip Simmons (1912–2009) became master craftsmen renowned for their specialized ornamental ironwork. In 1982, the South Carolina-born artisan won the National Endowment for the Arts' National Heritage Fellowship, which is America's highest honor for traditional artists. 

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Practical and decorative -

And in the 21st century there are still those who excel in the art of blacksmithing and create unique pieces for practical as well as for decorative purposes. 

Sources: (Greek Mythology) (Blacksmith University) (Materials and Manufacturing Processes) (The Cambridge History of Science) (Working the Flame) (Oldfield Forge) (DiscoverCracow)

See also: Bizarre jobs that no longer exist.

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