Anvil
An anvil is a manufacturing tool, consisting of a hard and massive block of stone or metal used as a support for hammering or chiseling other objects. Anvils have been used since late neolithic times by smiths of all kinds for metal work, although the tool was also used in much earlier epochs for stone and flint work.
There are many designs for anvils, which are often tailored for a specific purpose or to meet the needs of a particular smith. A typical metal-worker's anvil has a flat face where the metal is shaped, a pad for chisel work, and a horn for bending the metal. Some anvils have a tail, or holes for either storing tools or punching and drilling into.
There are many references to anvils in ancient Greek and Egyptians writing including Homer's works. The anvil was perfected during the middle ages when iron working was commonplace.
See also: smith, iron, steel, blacksmith, silversmith
- Anvil is also the name given to cloud formations that resemble the tool.
- Anvil is also the name given to the incus bone in the middle ear.
- Anvil is also a physics/textures/sounds editor for Marathon Infinity.
