Spatial investigation of technological choice and recycling in copper‐base metallurgy of the South Caucasus
Year: 2021
Type: article
Abstract: Recent research has brought the prolific bronze industry of Bronze Age Colchis (modern western Georgia) into focus, but many aspects are still poorly understood. This study synthesizes and reinterprets legacy Cu alloy compositional data to investigate technological choices and spatial patterning. It reveals a massive injection of fresh copper into the system during the Late Bronze–Early Iron Age, and a high degree of selectivity in the alloys used for different objects, with colour being as important as hardness in determining these choices. Spatial analyses show significant geographical variability in alloying practices, which map onto topographical zones in unexpected ways. We also explore recycling practices and argue that the term encompasses a range of different reuse activities, which may be employed under differing economic conditions. Finally, the data suggest relatively extensive primary alloying of tin and copper in the Late Bronze and Early Iron Ages, which further substantiates the speculation that some local tin sources were exploited.
Source: Archaeometry
DOI: 10.1111/arcm.12668
Authors: J. W. I. Ho, N. L. Erb‐Satullo
Institutions: University of Oxford, Cranfield University
Language: English
Subfield: Archeology
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $2,600
OpenAlex ID: W3134469377