Where do Cimmerians get thier metal?

[Supplement Four]

They know the Secret of Steel. Those in the know, know that Cimmerians make superb weapons, especially swords.

So...

Where do they get their metal?

Are there Cimmerian mines?

Is there a vast trade network where ore is shipped from the mines across the barbarous stretches of Cimmeria?

How does it happen?

 

[Jotenbjorn]

Considering their mountainous homeland and the fact that most mines are in mountainous regions I'd say they mine their own.

 

[Supplement Four]

Considering their mountainous homeland and the fact that most mines are in mountainous regions I'd say they mine their own.

Cimmerian miners, though?

Doesn't seem to "fit" (especially if you read the Cimmerian supplement).

 

[kintire]

They don't use MUCH metal They make weapons, but not generally armour. In a mountainous region simple drift mines would cover their needs.

And what's wrong with Cimmerian miners?

 

[LucaCherstich]

Considering their mountainous homeland and the fact that most mines are in mountainous regions I'd say they mine their own.

Cimmerian miners, though?

Doesn't seem to "fit" (especially if you read the Cimmerian supplement).

Why not?
I would not take the Mongoose "Cimmeria" supplement as the most accurate Hyborean age source....
Dou you really think "mining" is not a "barbarian" or "warrior" thing to do?
I personally have no problem with Cimmerian miners.
If you want a people to have skilfull ironsmiths you need to have mines to get the iron ore (or to trade for it).
What is more "Barbarian" to trade or to mine for the iron ore?
A simplistic answer could be "mining" but I have no problem in any of the two actions as particularly "un-barbarian.
However, Cimmeria is an isolated country and we do not like to have many Cimmerian traders...
...And no, "looting" is not a meaningful activity in terms of getting iron ore: you'll never get enough ore to make all those weapons...unless you want them to directly steal the weapons.
..and I think you like to think about Cimmerain weaponsmiths (e.g. Conan's father, but I'm not sure that it is canon REH material).
In any case, if we like to have Cimmerian ironsmiths, given the isolation in which Cimmeria lives (and which probably makes high-scale trade impossible), we need them to have Cimmerian miners.
Think about Europe during the Iron Age: Celts and Ancient Germans used to both trade and mine a lot, certainly not at the industrial level that later Imperial Roman did, but they certainly had mines to get precious Iron ore.
Nevertheless, even if they used to mine, they still remained Ferocius Barbarians for the "civilized" Greeks and Romans.

 

[Supplement Four]

You're both right of course. It just seemed to me that mining for iron ore is such a complex operation that it may be too advanced for the barbarian Cimmerians, given their technology level.

 

[SnowDog]

Bog iron is relatively easy to get and it replenishes in around 10 years.

 

[Spectator]

Bog iron is relatively easy to get and it replenishes in around 10 years.

Hell yeah Bog iron is some of the best iron out there!
It NEVER rusts.
Completely renewable/ sustainable and relatively east to harvest ( yeah I mean to say 'harvest').
Bog iron is incredible and we (as modern peeps) are still learning about it!

 

[Jotenbjorn]

Here's a great article on mining in the Viking Era.

http://www.hurstwic.org/history/articles/manufacturing/text/bog_iron.htm

 

[Nagisawa]

Same place the Aesir and Vanir get theirs. By raiding and being raided.

 

[LucaCherstich]

Same place the Aesir and Vanir get theirs. By raiding and being raided.

Excuse me Nagisawa, but that's simply stupid.
Raiding is not a meaningful activity to get the huge amount of iron ore to feed the need of weapons of an "over-militarized" warrior culture.
Even "simple" or "barbarian" societies like Cimmerians and Nordheimers (or Celts and Vikings) must have miners and ironsmiths.
This does not mean that those same miners and ironsmiths are not warrios too and cannot spend their weekends raiding the neighboring villages.

 

[Spongly]

Mining for iron ore is rare in these kinds of cultures. Bog iron is far more likely, being easier to extract with fairly basic tools and social organisation (i.e. not needing huge amounts of centralised resources to support, feed and clothe large gangs of miners). Bog iron can be hunted for relatively easily by almost anyone, and many farmers with a simple forge could be expected to be able to do basic smithing work, sufficient for their own needs.

 

[LucaCherstich]

even so, I still think that "raiding" is even more useless than "Mining" in order to ge enough iron ore to satisfy the required quantities.

 

[Nagisawa]

Same place the Aesir and Vanir get theirs. By raiding and being raided.

Excuse me Nagisawa, but that's simply stupid.
Raiding is not a meaningful activity to get the huge amount of iron ore to feed the need of weapons of an "over-militarized" warrior culture.
Even "simple" or "barbarian" societies like Cimmerians and Nordheimers (or Celts and Vikings) must have miners and ironsmiths.
This does not mean that those same miners and ironsmiths are not warrios too and cannot spend their weekends raiding the neighboring villages.

I never said it made sense. Have you SEEN the Hyborian world? Where we have Medieval Italy beside Dark Age Rome, which the Hun Empire sits besides?

Also, who ever said either were 'militarized' in any way? So a bunch of them have weapons, and maybe even a little scale armour, that doesn't mean ALL of them do.

And some might actually mine as well. But in the end, it doesn't really matter as Hyboria is not there to make sense, it's there to be played in and explored.

 

[Malcadon]

I assume they get their metals like everyone else on the northern regains - they steal it from others!