Elpidia Giovanna

Giovanna Fregni began her career as a jeweller and a metalsmith in the US and went on to complete her MSc and PhD at the University of Sheffield (UK) where she specialised in archaeological metals. Most of her work involves experimental archaeology, where she recreates ancient metalworking technology. Her PhD thesis, The Compleat Metalsmith explored the metalworking techniques of smiths in Late Bronze Age Britain. Access to her thesis and other publications is at https://independent.academia.edu/ElpidiaGiovannaFregni.

In addition to writing, she has excavated Iron Age, Roman, and Medieval archaeological sites in the UK, and was one of the curators of the Staffordshire Hoard at Birmingham Museum (http://www.staffordshirehoard.org.uk/video/reconstructing-the-zoomorphic-frieze).

Her website, Ancient Tools and Craft: Exploring Ancient Technology through Experimental Archaeology (http://ancienttools.net/) is dedicated to recreating ancient craft technology and contains tutorials for constructing bellows, furnaces, and other necessary tools. Her YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@giovannafregni1581) includes videos of bronze casting and experimental archaeology.

She currently lives in Northern Cyprus where she works with the Vounous Symposium.