Metals and Mines Studies in Archaeometallurgy

by La Niece, Susan; Hook, Duncan; Craddock, Paul

• ISBN13: 9781904982197
• ISBN10: 1904982190
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-12-28
• Publisher: Archetype Books

Summary

This book arose from the conference Metallurgy: A Touchstone for Cross-cultural Interaction which took place at the British Museum. The papers largely relate to mining and extractive metallurgy. The inception and nature of the first smelting technologies of copper and tin in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Africa, and of zinc in China and iron in Africa, the Middle East and Britain are discussed together with insights into the archaeology and experimental replication of the processes.

Table of Contents

Preface and acknowledgements
Achievements and challenges
Mining and smelting
Chalcolithic copper smelting	p. 3
Zambujal and the beginnings of metallurgy in southern Portugal	p. 15
The use of experimental archaeology/archaeometallurgy for the understanding and reconstruction of Early Bronze Age mining and smelting technologies	p. 27
On the Edge of success: the scientific examination of the products of the Early Mines Research Group smelting experiments	p. 37
Towards a functional and typological classification of crucibles	p. 46
Records of palaeo-pollution from mining and metallurgy as recorded by three ombrotrophic peat bogs in Wales, UK	p. 56
Copper, tin and bronze
Prehistoric copper production at Timna: thermoluminescence (TL) dating and evidence from the East
On the origins of metallurgy in prehistoric Southeast Asia: the view from Thailand
Coals to Newcastle, copper to Magan? Isotopic analyses and the Persian Gulf metals trade
The first use of metal on Minoan Crete
Cross-cultural Minoan networks and the development of metallurgy in Bronze Age Crete
One hundred years on: what do we know about tin and bronze production in southern Africa?
Brass and zinc
Of brass and bronze in prehistoric Southwest Asia
Brasses in the early metallurgy of the Iberian Peninsula
The beginning of the use of brass in Europe with particular reference to the southeastern Alpine region
Roman brass and lead ingots from the western Mediterranean
Copper-based metal in the Inland Niger delta: metal and technology at the time of the Empire of Mali
Preliminary multidisciplinary study of the Miaobeihou zinc-smelting ruins at Yangliusi village, Fengdu county, Chongqing
The origin and invention of zinc-smelting technology in China
Iron and steel
Slags and the city: early iron production at Tell Hammeh, Jordan and Tel Beth-Shemesh, Israel
Innovations in bloomery smelting in Iron Age and Romano-British England
Decisions set in slag: the human factor in African iron smelting
The anatomy of a furnace ... and some of its ramifications
Early Chinese ferrous swords from the British Museum collections
Crucible steel in medieval swords
Index
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.