Abstract
A method for analysis of skeletal remains for arsenic using inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) is presented. Skeletal arsenic analysis has the potential to identify individuals, groups and communities engaged in copper smelting. The analysis is applied to a preliminary study of Shiqmim, Israel, a Chalcolithic copper smelting community, to assess the usefulness of skeletal arsenic analysis in archaeological remains. The results from this pilot study suggest that it is possible to identify individuals who may have been involved in metal working activities in antiquity through the chemical analysis of human skeletal material. The results also point to the potential of using this method to identify metal workers in the archaeological record for other regions and temporal periods.
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