1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910293132803321

Autore

Pollard A. M.

Titolo

Beyond provenance : new approaches to interpreting the chemistry of archaeological copper alloys / / A. M. Pollard ; with P. Bray [and seven others]

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Leuven, Belgium : , : Leuven University Press, , 2018

ISBN

9789461662668

9461662661

9789462701625

9462701628

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (232 pages) : illustrations; PDF, digital file(s)

Collana

Studies in archaeological sciences ; ; 6

Disciplina

930.1028

Soggetti

Archaeological chemistry - Methodology

Copper alloys

Bronze age

Electronic books.

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

Preface: FLAME and the 'Oxford system' -- Previous approaches to the chemistry and provenance of archaeological copper alloys -- Developing a new interpretative framework -- Legacy datasets and chemical data quality -- Trace elements and 'copper groups' -- Alloying elements and 'alloy types' -- Lead isotope data from archaeological copper alloys -- The FLAME GIS-database -- Summary: Beyond provenance?

Sommario/riassunto

For the last 180 years, scientists have been attempting to determine the 'provenance' (geological source) of the copper used in Bronze Age artefacts. However, despite advances in analytical technologies, the theoretical approach has remained virtually unchanged over this period, with the interpretative methodology only changing to accommodate the increasing capacity of computers. This book represents a concerted effort to think about the composition of Bronze Age metal as the product of human intentionality as well as of geology. It considers the trace element composition of the metal, the alloying elements, and the



lead isotopic composition, showing how a combination of these aspects, along with archaeological context and typology, can reveal much more about the life history of such artefacts, expanding considerably upon the rather limited ambition of knowing where the ore was extracted.