Abstract
This paper presents the archaeological contexts and results of analyses of slags, surface residues, and earthenware refractories from the third-millennium B. C. site of Göltepe in south-central Turkey. These materials are only part of a workshop/habitation assemblage at the site, which also includes ore nodules, multifaceted molds, and metal fragments as well as groundstone tools utilized in ore dressing and beneficiation. Twenty-four ceramic fragments of bowl-shaped crucibles were analyzed as a representative sample from some 250 examples excavated in the 1990 season. Analysis suggests the intentional production of tin metal by reduction firing of tin oxide (cassiterite, SnO2) in crucibles. Tin oxide was identified on the interior surfaces of the crucible fragments by x-ray fluorescence, x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive x-ray analysis, and wavelength dispersive microprobe analysis. The results of these tests have a direct bearing on the question of tin sources in ancient Anatolia.
Published Version
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call