Toreutics

The term toreutics, relatively rarely used in English, refers to artistic metalworking[1][2] – hammering gold or silver (or other materials), engraving, or using repoussé and chasing to form minute detailed reliefs or small engraved patterns.

[4] Toreutics is extremely ancient,[5] and depending on the metal used will survive burial for periods of centuries better than art in many other materials.

Toreutics flourished to an unusual degree among the peoples of Asia Minor, Assyria, Babylon, and passed from thence to ancient Persia.

[7] One spectacular example of the direct influence of Persia in toreutics is believed to be the Treasure of Nagyszentmiklós found in Transylvania in 1799, and considered to be work of Old Bulgarian[8] gold smiths.

As Ancient Greek extends back to the Proto-Indo-Germanic language in which the root is*terə- which decribes the art of working metal or other materials by the use of embossing and chasing to form minute detailed reliefs.