Archaeometallurgy in Europe

Bu çalışmada, Tortum ve Uzundere ilçelerinden temin edilen iki farklı fasulye çeşidinde depolama esnasında çok büyük zararlara neden olan Acanthoscelides obtectus (Say.), fasulye tohum böceği erginlerinin bünyesinde var olan eser elementler Rigaku ZSX 100e WDXRF Spektrometresiyle nitel ve yarı-nicel olarak incelendi. Yarı-nicel analizle belirlenen konsantrasyon değerlerinin yaklaşık %10 hatalı olduğu bulundu. İki farklı fasulye çeşidinden alınan A. obtectus erginlerinin ortalama eser element konsantrasyonları arasında uyumsuzluk olduğu tespit edildi. Bunu açıklayabilmek için bunların beslendikleri fasulye çeşitlerinin eser element konsantrasyonları belirlendi ve bu konsantrasyonların da birbiri ile uyumsuz olduğu bulundu. Sonuç olarak, bu fasulye çeşitlerinde beslenen A. Obtectus'deki eser element konsantrasyonlarının farklılığı, fasulyedeki eser elementlerin konsantrasyonlarının birbirinden çok farklı olmasına bağlı olabileceği öne sürüldü.

De la parure aux chantiers de construction des cathédrales, les métaux, vils ou précieux, sont partout dans les villes de la fin du Moyen Âge. Le cœur des cités occidentales est peuplé de professionnels qui forgent, fondent, vendent, revendent ou recyclent les produits de la métallurgie. Cet ouvrage rassemble plus de vingt contributions prononcées lors d’un colloque international tenu à Paris en 2019 en hommage au Professeur Paul Benoit et à ses travaux sur la métallurgie médiévale. Faisant écho à une table ronde coorganisée par ce dernier en 1984, cette rencontre avait pour objectif de dresser un état des lieux, trente-cinq ans après, dans une perspective interdisciplinaire. Ce volume explore les liens entre la ville et le travail du métal. Quel est le rôle des acteurs urbains dans l’extraction et la circulation des ressources, métalliques ou combustibles ? Qui sont les artisans du métal et comment travaillent-ils ? Comment s’intègrent-ils aux chantiers qui animent les villes ? Se dévoilent ainsi les travailleurs du fer et du cuivre, plombiers, fabricants de menues chosettes en étain, monnayeurs, canonniers et horlogers au travers d’un large espace en France et en Europe et jusqu’à la ville de Damas. Par des approches variées, ce volume interroge la diversité des activités métallurgiques, leurs productions et leurs techniques, au moyen de données issues de l’archéologie, des textes, ou encore de l’archéologie expérimentale.

With more than one century of research, Vinča culture is one of the best-studied Neolithic phenomena in the Carpathian basin and Southeastern Europe. The vast amount of accumulated data provides a solid ground for thorough discussions on all major aspects of culture's physiognomy. Vinča culture is a synonym for the Late Neolithic of the central Balkans. In the modern geo-political framework the area in question includes territories of Serbia, northern Macedonia, eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina, parts of southern Hungary, significant parts of western Romania, as well as limited zones in western Bulgaria. In terms of absolute chronology, taking into account new AMS and carbon dating Vinča culture could be dated to the period between 5400/5300-4600 BC. The origin of Vinča culture communities is still an open question. Since the 1950s, the socalled Balkan-Anatolian migratory thesis has been one of the most accepted and dominant arguments regarding the question of its origin. Basic elements that provided the ground for the claim of Anatolian and south Balkan origins were certain elements in material culture, such as the introduction of reduction technology in pottery production,

In 2014 a fascinating exhibition, L’or des dinandiers: fondeurs et batteurs mosans au Moyen Âge, in Bouvignes, just over the river from Dinant, examined the Mosan dinanderie industry, displaying examples of the cupreous products for which the region was famed during the Middle Ages. A three-day symposium was held in conjunction with the exhibition, thirty-four papers from which are published in this handsome paperback.

This article discusses the role of rural blacksmithing in the economic structure of a feudal state. The study is based on the metallographic analysis of a large number of iron objects taken from archaeological sites of Ancient Rus'. It can be summarized that rural blacksmithing craft was a much more complex phenomenon than previously believed. The authors have come to the conclusion that the rural blacksmithing was an important component of the production sphere of Ancient Rus' and had a significant contribution to the feudal economies.

Depuis une quarantaine d’années, les
archéologues médiévistes de l’Université
de Sienne étudient l’exploitation minière et
la métallurgie en Toscane tyrrhénienne, où
la production de cuivre, d’argent, de fer (et
d’alun au XVe
siècle) a eu des conséquences
socio-économiques importantes.
À partir du XIIIe
siècle, les communes et les
entrepreneurs des villes toscanes assurèrent
l’exploitation de ces ressources naturelles
facilitant l’installation des structures de
production dans les zones urbaines et le long
des ruisseaux, où elles pouvaient utiliser
l’énergie hydraulique pour des processus
métallurgiques.
À Massa Marittima, « véritable villechampignon qui avait poussé entre 1225
et 1250 », ces métallurgies extractives et
transformatrices ont fourni des demi-produits
qui furent exportés pour un traitement ultérieur,
qui a parfois eu lieu dans la même ville et parfois
dans d’autres villes toscanes. Les mineurs
et les métallurgistes de Massa devinrent les
protagonistes d’un nouvel essor économique,
sociale et politique et les coutumes qui
régissaient leur travail furent défi nies dans un
corpus normatif spécifi que - les Ordinamenta
super artem fossarum rameriae et argenteriae
civitatis Massae - inséré dans le statut de la
municipalité (1311-25), puis accepté par la
République de Sienne.
Une nouvelle transformation radicale eut
lieu, par la suite, sous la domination de
Cosimo Medici (1559). Le duc de Florence,
profi tant des liens avec les Habsbourg, a
attiré des mineurs et des métallurgistes
des régions d’Europe centrale. Il a nommé
« Maître général des mines » Johans Gloggl,
de Schwaz dans le Tyrol, pour effectuer la
fusion du cuivre-argent selon le procédé
utilisé en Carnie, region où des métallurgistes
ont été recrutés pour construire des fours à
réverbère, jamais utilisés pour la métallurgie
extractive.

The Pokuplje area (central Croatia) and its mountainous fringe have great potential for the production of iron in archaeological periods, including the Iron Age. The potential results both from the availability of natural resources and from a close cultural and geographical connection with the neighbouring iron-producing regions on the territory of present-day NW Bosnia and SW and central Slovenia. The region is understudied from an archaeological perspective, so finds related to iron production are scarce. This paper discusses rare finds (slag, technical ceramics, iron bloom) related to iron production and processes carried out on two sites, Gornje Pokupje (Late Iron Age)
and Sisak–Pogorelac (Late Hallstatt/Early La Tene). The potential for iron production during the Iron Age is discussed on the basis of archaeological traces of iron production processes and ore availability (type of ore, spatial distance, possible mining methods) and suitability for direct reduction. The methods used consist of macroscopic analysis of archaeological finds and the spatial analysis of the relationships between geologically known deposits, historically recorded mining areas and potential areas with occurrences of ore, suspected based on geochemical data on topsoil saturation with iron of geogenic origin.
Key words: bloomery iron production, post-reduction slag, technical ceramics, Iron Age, ore deposits, spatial analysis

This contribution synthesises the PIXE and ICP-AES elemental analyses carried out on a large dataset, comprising of 300 copper-alloy objects dating mainly to the Late Middle Ages. The objects are drawn from heritage institutions and archaeological contexts in various regions between the Meuse and the Loire rivers (France and Belgium). This investigation focuses on the main elements that make up the alloys (Cu, Zn, Sn, Pb). Past studies have often defined the composition of an alloy as an intentional choice, however in this paper we aim to identify the constraints in alloy manufacture in a bid to understand the degree of freedom enjoyed by craftsmen during this period. We will also evaluate to what degree the constraints imposed by technique, economic conditions and social requirement, affected production in a complex multifactorial system. We have opted to define alloys by object type, functional area and social context, by chronology and product ranges. For cast table-and the kitchenware, we have observed that alloys and the objects are standardised on a trans-regional scale. Conversely, the hammered objects are produced with a greater freedom, leading to a new hypothesis regarding specific workshop practices. Finally, we will propose a predictive model for cast objects that we hope is better suited for the study of heritage objects, their materials and their production processes, to be verified in future studies. This approach emphasises the importance of considering everything that makes an object what it is: its function, status and place in the market, when researching heritage materials.

Archaeological research of Neolithic southern Transdanubia between Lake Balaton and the Drava River has received special attention over the last 20 years. Beside of large-scale excavations of early farming settlements, micro-regional surveys and various bioarchaeological investigations, one of the distinguished research objectives has been the establishment of an absolute chronological framework for the region.

In the years between 2008 and 2013, as a result of a building conversion project, a set of archaeological excavations were carried out in the western district of Chinzica in Pisa. In a northern sector of the excavations, sealed beneath a thick layer of iron slag, an entire workshop was identified for the production and sale of copper alloy objects, iron items and glass artifacts. The workshop functioned from the beginning of the 13th century until 1406 when it was destroyed as a result of the Florentine conquest.
The organization of the workshop processes can be reconstructed thanks to the identification of smelting furnaces, forges, workbenches, counters and shelves. The numerous finds, particularly those related to dress accessories, illustrate the complete production process and offer insights into the techniques used to work copper alloys. Of particular interest are the numerous crucible and clay mold fragments that testify to specialized activities associated with high-volume, mass production.
The exceptional ceramic finds associated with the workshop also provide an opportunity to date the techniques and tools used in metalworking, as well as allowing a thorough analysis of the socioeconomic impact of Pisan blacksmiths in the economy of the city and, by extrapolation, through Europe in the Middle Ages.

The paper presents the basic research principles of the project THE FLOW (Interactions-Transmission-Transformation: Long-distance connections in the Copper and Bronze Age of the Central Balkans), which is carried by the Institute of Archaeology in Belgrade, the Institute of Nuclear Sciences “Vinča, and the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade. The theoretical and methodological perspectives of the project research engage an interdisciplinary approach based on analytical techniques incorporated within archaeology and natural sciences, such as physics and chemistry. The project‘s goal is to apply an exact method to the problems of the origin of raw materials for the production of four specific groups of objects made of obsidian, pottery, copper, and bronze. Each of those materials represents a unique problem and requires a specific treatment, presented within this paper, together with the existing practice, analytic techniques, and methodological procedures for the collected samples. Further, the project incorporates the collection of absolute dates through AMS and OSL dating, with the application of the latest OxCal 4.4. calibration. The acquired dates, combined with the disposition of samples and raw materials will serve as
the backbone for the creation of spatio-temporal models and the formation of an SQL database, all with the goal of creating the interpretative basis for the study of local paleo-economies, long-distance connections, and social networks in the Central Balkans during the Copper and Bronze Age

Depuis 2013, des conventions de partenariat existent entre, d'une part, la Direction de l'Archéologie, dont les compétences et le personnel furent transférés le 1 er janvier 2018 à l'Agence Wallonne du Patrimoine (AWa.P.) du Service Public de Wallonie (SPW), et, d'autre part, les Archives générales du Royaume (AGR) et les Archives de l'État dans les Provinces (AÉ) 1. L'objectif principal de cette collaboration consiste à documenter, au moyen de sources historiques et principalement de documents d'archives, des opérations archéologiques menées dans l'espace de l'actuelle Wallonie. Un des nombreux projets composant cet ambitieux programme de recherches (Archives & Archéologie en Wallonie) est consacré à la ville de Dinant et plus spécifiquement aux sites ayant relevé la trace de l'activité de batteurs pendant les périodes médiévale et moderne (P_Dinant) 2. Au cours de cette recherche, menée aux Archives de l'État à Namur entre les mois de juillet 2019 et d'avril 2020, un précieux manuscrit relatif à l'organisation administrative de la ville de Dinant a été mis au jour dans le fonds des Communes d'Ancien Régime. Cet imposant document, composé de près de 200 folios, constitue une série de listes reprenant, année par année, de 1593 à 1668, les représentants officiels des trois corps-(i) les bourgeois, (ii) les batteurs et (iii) les neuf métiers-impliqués dans la gestion de la cité 3. D'un intérêt notoire pour l'histoire générale de la * Antoine Bonnivert, Archives générales du Royaume-Université libre de Bruxelles et Pascal Saint-Amand, Maison du patrimoine médiéval mosan.

The earliest iron artefacts are often presented as products made of meteoritic iron, which is characterised by its high iron content. However, recent studies have shown that high nickel and iron content cannot be taken as a firm criterion for establishing its meteoritic origin. The most effective tool for helping to specify the elemental composition in such cases is a metallographic analysis. It turns out that the material of many artefacts regarded as having been forged from meteoritic iron could in fact be bloomery iron. An analysis of ample yet scattered evidence suggests that the production of items from meteoritic iron could in fact be irregular and sporadic.

Metals from a votive deposit at Moita da Ladra (Tagus Estuary) dating to the eighth century BC were studied by micro-EDXRF, optical microscopy and Vickers testing to investigate the adoption of Phoenician innovations by indigenous communities. Artefacts are made of bronze alloys with suitable tin contents (11.6 ± 2.3 wt%) and very low iron impurities (<0.05 wt%), and were often manufactured using the long post-casting sequence. Comparisons with indigenous and Phoenician metallurgies from western Iberia revealed a conservative technology suggesting that the spread of Phoenician innovations was very slow. In this region, the adoption of a diversified copper-based metallurgy and reduction furnaces only seems to occur during the Post-Orientalizing Period, c. sixth to fourth centuries BC.

Time 10:00 Conference opening 10:20 Alasdair Whittle-Refining chronologies and narratives for the Neolithic of southeast Europe: a personal account. 10:40 Zoï Tsirtsoni-Chronological framing of the evolutions in prehistoric Aegean and the Balkans: on the way to a consensus? 11:00 Agathe Reingruber-Neolithic impressed decorations on pottery: their relative and absolute chronological positions in Thessaly and

These comments are in response to Radivojević et al. (2013) who claim that a small foil object identified as tin bronze (11.7 per cent tin), found at the Late Neolithic and Early Copper Age site of Pločnik in southern Serbia, comes from an undisturbed context of the Vinča culture settlement. The object was used as the central piece of evidence to argue for the first appearance of tin bronze production in Eurasia (and presumably the world). This object is compared to 14 other objects, characterised as tin bronzes on the basis of their compositions, from 10 sites, mainly in the central and eastern Balkans, in present-day Serbia and Bulgaria. These sites have complex settlement histories and, while they have produced evidence of late fifth millennium BC habitation, their deep stratigraphies show that this is only one phase among many that extend into later prehistory. It is on the basis of these finds that Radivojević et al. argue that the previously accepted narrative regarding the evolution of metallurgy in Eurasia is destabilised. They claim a date for the rise of tin bronze production 1500 years before its first documented emergence among the Bronze Age societies of southwest Asia. They also suggest that the colour obtained by producing tin bronzes imitated the aesthetic properties of mid fifth millennium BC golden objects. Radivojević et al. conclude that the evidence they present suggests that the nature of early metallurgy in the Balkans was 'polymetallic'. There are several fundamental problems with both the factual evidence presented in the paper and the research design. The compositional analysis undertaken by Radivojević et al. is not questioned and we assume that their identification of the objects as tin bronzes is accurate. However, we are concerned by the archaeological context and the interpretation of the findings. The key issue that concerns us here is the provenance of the central piece of evidence-the tin bronze foil, labelled as sample 63 from the site of Pločnik. At this point, we should state that one of the present authors (DŠ) has been the principal investigator of the archaeological works at the site of Pločnik since 1996 and was present at the site as its field director throughout the 2008 field season when the object in question was found. DŠ also provided Miljana Radivojević with the piece of metal foil, with its contextual information, for analysis. Contrary to the statement made in the article, this object was not found in "an undisturbed context, on the floor of a dwelling structure next to a copper workshop [.. .] approximately 1m from a fireplace" (Radivojević et al. 2013: 1032), but in the spoil heap above section CD, which is on the opposite side of the excavated area from the find spot indicated in their fig. 2. The metal foil was noticed by the excavators and collected from the spoil heap; it was

Chapter 14 Belovode: technology of pottery production ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������186 Silvia Amicone Chapter 15 Figurines from Belovode ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 199 Julka Kuzmanović Cvetković Chapter 16 Ground and abrasive stone tools from Belovode ���������������������������������������������������������������������������205 Vidan Dimić and Dragana Antonović Chapter 17 Bone industry from Belovode ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������215 Selena Vitezović Chapter 18 Chipped stone industry at Belovode ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������221 Elmira Ibragimova Chapter 19 Chemical and technological analyses of obsidian from Belovode ������������������������������������������������233 Marina Milić Chapter 20 Archaeobotanical evidence of plant use at the site of Belovode���������������������������������������������������236 Dragana Filipović Chapter 21 Animal remains from Belovode ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������249

Chapter 14 Belovode: technology of pottery production ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������186 Silvia Amicone Chapter 15 Figurines from Belovode ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 199 Julka Kuzmanović Cvetković Chapter 16 Ground and abrasive stone tools from Belovode ���������������������������������������������������������������������������205 Vidan Dimić and Dragana Antonović Chapter 17 Bone industry from Belovode ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������215 Selena Vitezović Chapter 18 Chipped stone industry at Belovode ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������221 Elmira Ibragimova Chapter 19 Chemical and technological analyses of obsidian from Belovode ������������������������������������������������233 Marina Milić Chapter 20 Archaeobotanical evidence of plant use at the site of Belovode���������������������������������������������������236 Dragana Filipović Chapter 21 Animal remains from Belovode ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������249

Villavieja is a Prehistoric walled enclosure located on a high plateau which overlooks the river Genil. The settlement is dated in the III millennium B.C. Villavieja has an incredible wall which is even visible today and it closes three hectares of the settlement. Furthermore, the wall was built with large stone blocks that enables an exceptional state of preservation. Recently, archaeological excavations have revealed that the wall used to be over three meters high. To conclude, Villavieja is a fascinating archaeological site which you will be amazed.

Somogyfajsz- Ívató tó (1988, 1995). In the pit-workshop 16 metres in diameter, 21 iron-smelting furnaces were dug out. The diameter of the bottom of the furnaces built into the side of the workshop are 35-40 centimetres in average. Their inner areas are pear-shaped, and their inner height could be about 70 centimetres. The clay furnaces are similar to the Imola-type iron smelting furnaces in their size and form. However, differently from the Imola-type furnaces, because for Somogyfajsz-type furnaces there are breast walls (including a twyer) for the blowing.
Two main periods of use can be observed at the iron smelting place. The work pit no. I. was built in a dip on a 6 x 8 meters area. The entry of the pit opened to the brook. From the same direction, the furnaces sunk into the wall of the workshop were blown. After wearing out the furnaces of the old workshop, it was enlarged by an other pit of the same size. At the same time, the middle of the work pit no. I. was gradually filled in by the by-products of iron smelting furnaces built  later. Only the hearths remained from the furnaces, demolished at the enlargement of work pit no. I. (furnaces no. 1-13.). During the use of work pit no. II., the northern part of work pit I. was also enlarged by building new furnaces (Furnaces no. 5-6, 10-11, 14-15.). In this pit, furnace no. 6 was used last. Next to and in front of it, four blooms weighing 1,6 to 3,6 kilograms have been found.  Work pit no. II, which is shown in its original form in the Museum of ancient  furnaces (Őskohó Múzeum), forms a round-cornered square, with 6 meter long sides. Its entry is on the east from work pit no. I. The furnaces stood along the southern, western and northern walls, 3 metres from one another. So blowing with bellows was possible at the three furnaces at the same time. Supplying the charcoal and the ore was possible through the mouth. The black charcoal spots and the red spots with granular ore with a diameter of  about 100 centimetres, shows the place of the piles of the raw material and fuel, at the edge of the work pit.
One of the iron smelters worked outside the work pit, at the edge of the pit, his mate blew with the bellows. This working system assumes that the workshop had not got any walls, at most there was only a temporary roof, which post-holes did not remain. On the basis of the 500 twyers found there, at least 500 smelting could be presumed. If one smelting resulted in 2,5 kilogram iron or steel, the furnace produced 1250 kilograms iron. One furnace could produced 20 blooms from 50 smelting, that means that one furnace produced 50 kilograms iron altogether. So many smelting could have not been possible only two furnaces, so the number of them must have been more.
Age determination: Relative chronology: Among the furnaces of work pit no. II., the one with no. 19 was in use last, which was built instead of the furnace no. 21. In the furnace no. 18, iron-smelting took place several times, so it was burnt through more, and was more damaged. Furnace no. 17, though it was almost intact similarly to the furnace no. 19, was partly covered by the waste,  from furnaces no. 18 and 19. The burnt through furnace no. 20 was used earlier. Opposite to it, there is supposed to be an other furnace under a slag pile.
The output of iron went on at least for a decade on this site. The sudden leave of the iron-smelting site proved by the round iron blooms around the furnace no. 6. and the erected but never used smelting furnaces. It is supposed that the iron smelters left the workshop after 997, the revolt of Koppány dux, the owner of the workshop, against István Grand duke (later king Stephan I.).
Absolute chronology: On the basis of the decoration of the pottery, the iron smelting furnaces of Somogyfajsz is dated to the 10th-11th century, possibly to the end of the 10th century. Furnace no. 2. 14C: 882 - 982 (888-966), 796 - 1006 AD, furnace no. 3 .: 14C: 898 - 916 (900-910), 947 - 1016, 878 - 1038 , 1104 - 1108 AD, furnace no.4: 14C: (900- 910), 947 - 1016, (954 - 1016) AD (after Ede Hertelendi, Debrecen, ATOMKI); Archaeomagnetic: the beginning of the 11th century AD (after Péter Márton, ELTE Geophysical department).

Chapter 14 Belovode: technology of pottery production ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������186 Silvia Amicone Chapter 15 Figurines from Belovode ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 199 Julka Kuzmanović Cvetković Chapter 16 Ground and abrasive stone tools from Belovode ���������������������������������������������������������������������������205 Vidan Dimić and Dragana Antonović Chapter 17 Bone industry from Belovode ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������215 Selena Vitezović Chapter 18 Chipped stone industry at Belovode ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������221 Elmira Ibragimova Chapter 19 Chemical and technological analyses of obsidian from Belovode ������������������������������������������������233 Marina Milić Chapter 20 Archaeobotanical evidence of plant use at the site of Belovode���������������������������������������������������236 Dragana Filipović Chapter 21 Animal remains from Belovode ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������249

Chapter 14 Belovode: technology of pottery production ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������186 Silvia Amicone Chapter 15 Figurines from Belovode ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 199 Julka Kuzmanović Cvetković Chapter 16 Ground and abrasive stone tools from Belovode ���������������������������������������������������������������������������205 Vidan Dimić and Dragana Antonović Chapter 17 Bone industry from Belovode ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������215 Selena Vitezović Chapter 18 Chipped stone industry at Belovode ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������221 Elmira Ibragimova Chapter 19 Chemical and technological analyses of obsidian from Belovode ������������������������������������������������233 Marina Milić Chapter 20 Archaeobotanical evidence of plant use at the site of Belovode���������������������������������������������������236 Dragana Filipović Chapter 21 Animal remains from Belovode ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������249

Chapter 14 Belovode: technology of pottery production ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������186 Silvia Amicone Chapter 15 Figurines from Belovode ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 199 Julka Kuzmanović Cvetković Chapter 16 Ground and abrasive stone tools from Belovode ���������������������������������������������������������������������������205 Vidan Dimić and Dragana Antonović Chapter 17 Bone industry from Belovode ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������215 Selena Vitezović Chapter 18 Chipped stone industry at Belovode ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������221 Elmira Ibragimova Chapter 19 Chemical and technological analyses of obsidian from Belovode ������������������������������������������������233 Marina Milić Chapter 20 Archaeobotanical evidence of plant use at the site of Belovode���������������������������������������������������236 Dragana Filipović Chapter 21 Animal remains from Belovode ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������249

Publie sous la direction de Nicolas Thomas et de Pete Dandridge, cet ouvrage de 416 pages correspond aux actes d’un colloque international qui s’est deroule du 15 au 17 mai 2014 a Dinant et Namur sur les Cuivres, bronzes et laitons medievaux. Histoire, archeologie et archeometrie des productions en laiton, bronze et autres alliages a base de cuivre dans l’Europe medievale (xiie-xvie s.). Ces journees se sont tenues dans le cadre d’un programme de recherche sur les productions en alliage cuivr...

Chapter 14 Belovode: technology of pottery production ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������186 Silvia Amicone Chapter 15 Figurines from Belovode ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 199 Julka Kuzmanović Cvetković Chapter 16 Ground and abrasive stone tools from Belovode ���������������������������������������������������������������������������205 Vidan Dimić and Dragana Antonović Chapter 17 Bone industry from Belovode ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������215 Selena Vitezović Chapter 18 Chipped stone industry at Belovode ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������221 Elmira Ibragimova Chapter 19 Chemical and technological analyses of obsidian from Belovode ������������������������������������������������233 Marina Milić Chapter 20 Archaeobotanical evidence of plant use at the site of Belovode���������������������������������������������������236 Dragana Filipović Chapter 21 Animal remains from Belovode ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������249

The recent set of excavations (campaigns 2012 and
2013) at the sites of Belovode and Pločnik (see Chapters
11 and 26) have shown the use of copper minerals
and metallurgical activities to be highly consistent
with results from previous analytical research
(Radivojević 2007, 2012, 2013, 2015; Radivojević et al.
2010a; Radivojević and Rehren 2016). Specific aspects
to emerge so far include: persistent selection of black
and green manganese-rich copper ores for metal
extraction; similar engineering parameters involved in
the early copper smelting technology; field evidence
from Belovode supporting the presence of potterylined
hole-in-the-ground installations; consistent metal
making and working technology remains at both sites;
and direct absolute dating evidence that leaves no doubt
for c. 5000 BC as the beginning of copper metallurgy
in the Balkans. In this chapter we will synthesise the
evidence for this c. 7,000 years old copper production
technology within the Vinča culture, in its local and
regional perspective, including data and debates on the
provenance of copper ores.

Les serralades Betiques estan caracteritzades per contenir diposits de mineralogies diverses d&#39;interes economic. Un neguit d&#39;uns geolegs locals va portar a l&#39;empresa Basti Resources a fer una exploracio de la cerca de metalls preciosos com l&#39;or i la plata amb coure associat. Arran de les investigacions que l&#39;empresa va portar a terme durant 10 anys (1999-2009), va sorgir l&#39;interes propi de caracteritzar una mineralitzacio que fins el moment no ha estat reportada tant en detall. Els resultats de l&#39;estudi de la paragenesi, aixi com els coneixements previs a escala mes regional, han servit per acabar de definir una linia d&#39;evolucio metalogenetica. La mineralitzacio principalment important son uns filons d&#39;Au-Cu que es troben dispersos a una profunditat variable respecte la superficie de 40 metres, a la serralada dels Filabres, tocant a la vall de Finana. La mineralitzacio filoniana porta associada una disseminacio local de sulfurs i posteriorment reg...

The 2012 and 2013 excavations and subsequent postexcavation
analyses by The Rise of Metallurgy in Eurasia
project team at the site of Pločnik built upon nearly a
century of discoveries and excavations led initially by
the National Museum of Belgrade (Grbić 1929; Stalio
1960, 1962, 1964, 1973) and co-led latterly by the
National Museum Belgrade and Museum of Toplica,
Prokuplje.

The 2012 and 2013 excavations and subsequent postexcavation
analyses by The Rise of Metallurgy in Eurasia
project team at the site of Belovode built upon two
decades of earlier work led by the National Museum of
Belgrade and the Museum in Požarevac (Jacanović and
Šljivar 2003; Šljivar 2006; Šljivar and Jacanović 1996b,
1996c, 1997c; Šljivar et al. 2006). This earlier work across 17
trenches had identified four building horizons (Belovode
A–D), the presence of the entire Vinča culture ceramic
sequence from Vinča Tordoš (A–B1) to the Gradac Phase
(I–III) as well as stone tools, figurines, obsidian blades,
animal bone and, most importantly for the current
research, evidence for the smelting of copper ores. As
detailed in Chapter 5, it was the archaeometallurgical
analysis of five small copper slags from Trench 3 together
with the radiocarbon dating of the excavated horizon in
which they were found that provided evidence for copper
smelting at c. 5000 BC (Radivojević et al. 2010a) and the
foundation for The Rise of Metallurgy in Eurasia project.
However, in the absence of any detailed publication on
these earlier excavations at Belovode, further questions
relating to broader context of the earliest evidence for
copper smelting could not be explored.

The site of Belovode (44°18’42.34”N, 21°24’27.09”E)
is located near the village of Veliko Laole, c. 140 km
southeast of Belgrade (MAP) and lies on a windy
plateau with the eponymous spring running through
the settlement. The location is typical for a Vinča
culture settlement: a large rolling plateau of ellipsoidal
shape at an altitude of c. 200 m, suitable for agricultural
activities as well as cattle breeding in the dense forests
and pastures (Šljivar et al. 2006: 251–252). The nearby
Mlava River runs deep into the volcanic mountain
range called Homolje, which lies within a zone of
primary copper mining and metallurgy (Krajnović and
Janković 1995).
The site has been excavated since 1993 by the National
Museum of Belgrade and the Museum in Požarevac
(Šljivar and Jacanović 1996a, 1996b, 1997a; Jacanović
and Šljivar 2003; Šljivar et al. 2006; Šljivar 2006). Given
that the publication record for Belovode has been
mainly limited to attempts to interpret and explain
archaeometallurgical activities, a more detailed
account of the history of research at the site will be the
focus of this chapter.
In 2010, the site of Belovode received wide international
recognition following a study of five copper slag pieces,
identified as the earliest in the world (Radivojević et
al. 2010a). Further analyses of archaeometallurgical
materials excavated up to 2009 (Radivojević 2012,
2013; Radivojević and Kuzmanović Cvetković 2014)
led, in 2012, to the establishment of one of the largest
ever international collaborative projects focusing on
Eurasian archaeometallurgy.

This chapter reviews the pre-existing evidence and
interpretations for early mineral use and metallurgy in
the Balkans from the earliest use of copper minerals at
c. 6200 BC (Late Mesolithic-Early Neolithic) to c. 3700
BC (end of the Chalcolithic). It presents the empirical
and intellectual foundations upon which the data,
analyses and interpretations of The Rise of Metallurgy
in Eurasia project builds. The early metallurgy in this
region encompasses the production, distribution and
consumption of copper, gold, bronze, lead and silver, all
being either pure metals or a natural alloy (tin bronze)1.
The chapter initially defines the geographical and
temporal scope under consideration before evaluating
the archaeological and metallurgical evidence in
relation to: mineral exploitation; mining; smelting,
metals and metal artefacts; and metal circulation.
Following each of these sub-sections is a summary of
how The Rise of Metallurgy in Eurasia project oughtto
contribute to this aspect of metallurgical activity,
setting this in relation to the project’s six research
questions as presented in Chapter 2. The chapter
concludes by highlighting the dominant interpretative
narratives relating to early metallurgy, metallurgists
and societies in the Balkans that The Rise of Metallurgy
in Eurasia project will evaluate, against all the available
and relevant archaeological and metallurgical data.

The study of early metallurgy has many aspects and
has, accordingly, taken many forms and foci (Rehren
and Pernicka 2008 and literature therein). Some
scholars have documented the morpho-typological
evolution of artefact types and some have explored the
role of metals in creating social hierarchies, in storing
and displaying wealth, or the more transcendent role
of metals in a variety of rituals. Other researchers are
fascinated by the skills and technical achievements
of the metalworkers and their intangible heritage
as expressed in intricate castings, ingenious
manufacturing methods and elaborate surface
decorations. Yet others study the transformation of
rocks and ores to metal as documented in the slags
and furnace fragments or try to trace the geological
origins of metal objects, as a proxy for the movement
of people, materials, and ideas. The investigation
of ancient mining extends well beyond the field of
archaeometallurgy, with mines for flint, pigments,
precious stones and salt all pre-dating metal smelting,
and quarrying for building stone exceeding metal
mining both in scale and value generation (e.g. Schauer
et al. 2020). This range of interests inevitably implies the
application of a multitude of methods, borrowed from a
host of mother disciplines, adjusted and refined to form
the interdisciplinary field of archaeometallurgy. It also
makes any holistic project both a daunting prospect
and an exercise in interdisciplinary diplomacy.

The conference at Miskolc was the fifth of a series that begun in Milan in 2003, followed in 2007 by the conference in Aquileia, both in Italy. The third was held at Bochum, in Germany, in 2011 and the fourth at Madrid, Spain, in 2015. The special aim of our 2019 conference was that of emphasizing and strengthening the interdisciplinary character and the various activities in the field of archaeometallurgy and widening the focus towards Eastern Europe.

A traditional archaeological approach to the study of metal artifacts has some restrictions, because it is
unable to expose the information contained inside them about the method of their production. The
introduction of metallographic methods into archaeology has made it possible to obtain fundamentally
new types of information. The analytical framework at the disposal of the archaeological metallography
group of the Laboratory of Nature Sciences in Archaeology of the Institute of Archaeology of the Russian
Academy of Sciences makes it possible to solve many problems in the formation and development of
the iron industry, including some controversial issues.

Hemos empleado fluorescencia de rayos X por energía dispersiva (EDXRF), emisión de rayos X inducida por partículas (Micro-PIXE) y microscopía (análisis metalográfico), complementada con microscopia electrónica de barrido y espectroscopia de rayos X en energía dispersiva (SEM-EDS), primero para determinar el contenido elemental y segundo para identificar el proceso empleado para unir los componentes (disco, anillo periférico y presilla) de varios de los discos de oro de la Edad del Hierro. Su tipología es muy similar y fueron encontrados en tres yacimientos arqueológicos de la zona suroccidental de la Península Ibérica. Una serie de 35 discos del Castro dos Ratinhos (7), Outeiro da Cabeça (23) y Fortios (5) fueron analizados y sus resultados publicados en Trabajos de Prehistoria (Soares et al. 2010). Recientemente Perea et al. (2016) han publicado análisis de otros 4 discos de oro de Fortios con el mismo propósito pero usando solo SEM-EDS. Al haber analizado solo la capa superficial ...

The innovation of iron production is one of the major technological developments in history. The ability to transform certain ‘stones’ into objects of nearly any shape had an enormous influence on the economic and social development of early societies.

Within the last decade, a great deal of research has been done in Central Europe to work out the dating of the first production sites more precisely and to learn more about the technology and the social embeddedness of iron production. Our DFG-funded research in the Teltow region south of Berlin is one example for these activities. It has made it possible to push the date of the earliest iron production activities in Northern Germany back more than four centuries.

Consequently, the idea arose to gather the major experts in the field of Central European early iron production to exchange and discuss these results. We were very happy that 21 of our colleagues accepted our invitation and took part in the conference held in Berlin from the 19th to the 21st of October 2017. Many of them also submitted a paper for inclusion in this volume, which thus provides a very up-to-date overview of the state of research in many regions within Central Europe.