Work

Tracking Bronze Age ‘itinerant smiths’ in western Poland: insights from Nd and Sr isotope data

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: The neodymium (Nd) isotope composition of stone casting moulds found in graves of Bronze Age ‘itinerant smiths’ in western Poland was analysed to determine the provenance of their raw materials. For the first time in archaeological research, the Nd model age (T DM )—a highly useful parameter in studying the provenance of geological materials—has been applied. Nd data revealed that the material for making casting moulds came from the Sudetes. Additionally, the results of strontium isotope analysis in human remains indicated that the metallurgists were neither born nor spent their early childhood in the areas where they were buried.

Source: Archaeometry

DOI: 10.1111/arcm.13085

Authors: Mateusz Stróżyk, Łukasz Pospieszny, Zdzislaw Belka, Aldona Garbacz‐Klempka, Patrycja Silska, Marta Wardas‐Lasoń