Abstract
In this paper we present the first results of an interdisciplinary research project focused on Late Bronze Age metallurgy in the western and central Balkans. The comprehensive chemical and lead isotope analysis, and a strict consideration of archaeological criteria, has provided a deeper insight into supra regional metal exchange networks between the 14th and 9th century BC in this part of Europe. Particularly interesting and surprising are results regarding the provenance of raw materials for copper production, which have a chemical composition and lead isotope ratios that closely correspond to ore deposits in the southern Alps (North Italy). Based on the examination of 57 objects of different functions, chronology and distribution, it becomes apparent that copper from the southern Alps was almost an omnipresent raw material in the territories of the western and central Balkans with only a few finds from North Macedonia to indicate alternative sources. The analyses demonstrate that the reuse of fahlore-based copper is attested for the first time in the regions under study. The remarkable fact that other archaeological parameters do not indicate such an intensive connection between the Balkan area and Northern Italy raises a number of questions. The sustained and long-lasting networks of raw material procurement stand in contrast to the expected cultural interaction between metal producing and metal consuming prehistoric societies. The results of this work also highlight the currently underestimated role of the southern Alps as one of the main copper producing areas in Bronze Age Europe, and demonstrate for the first time that the region of western and central Balkans was one of the major recipients.
Highlights
The only exception is the area around the city of Bor in eastern Serbia where recent investigations confirmed the engagement of local communities in copper ore exploitation and copper production during the Early and Middle Bronze Age between 19th and 16th centuries BC [12, 13]
We demonstrated that during the Early and Middle Bronze Age (1st half of the 2nd millennium BC) copper was produced in the region of eastern Serbia near the city of Bor, where abundant ore deposits have been exploited until the present day [12, 13]
We provided evidence that between 1900 and 1600 BC the metal from eastern Serbia was a part of the regional exchange network as several analyzed bronze objects from the Balkans were clearly made of the copper form these sources [13]
Summary
In contrast to numerous studies that have pointed out the pivotal role of the Balkans for the start of copper metallurgy as early as the 6th millennium BC, our knowledge about the later development in this region is still limited by the lack of analytical data. Intriguing are the stages of the Bronze Age between the 14th and the 9th centuries BC, when the archaeological record suggests a peak in metal production and a significant increase of domestic metallurgy [1–4]. For this reason, Late Bronze Age metal finds from the Balkans have been the focus of several archeometallurgical projects [5–9], but the question of copper provenance has remained unanswered. The only exception is the area around the city of Bor in eastern Serbia where recent investigations confirmed the engagement of local communities in copper ore exploitation and copper production during the Early and Middle Bronze Age between 19th and 16th centuries BC [12, 13]. The raw material from this region could almost certainly be excluded as a source for the objects discussed here
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