An Archaeo-Metallurgical Study of the Early and Middle Bronze Age in Luristan, Iran

Abstract

Copper-base artefacts from Bronze Age Luristan have been analysed for their chemical composition and the isotopic composition of their lead. We find no significant systematic differences between a group of objects recovered in the Pushti Kuh region in the course of controlled excavations during the Belgian Archaeological Mission in Iran (BAMI) and a second group of artefacts from the Louvre Museum which were acquired on the art market. According to these material features the objects from the art market are made of genuine "Luristan" metal which does not exclude the possibility that the artefacts are recent forgeries made of "old" metal. The data suggest a large fraction of the artefacts, copper and bronze, to derive from copper ores as they are available in the eastern part of the central Zagros Mountains from where also tin ores have been reported. Bronzes with high -"^Pbnonnalized abundance ratios, conspicuous in contemporary Mesopotamia, are missing in Luristan. We have no satisfactory explanation to offer why the manifold cultural and material connections between Mesopotamia and Luristan should have excluded the trade in bronzes with such exceptional lead isotopy.

Microscopic and microanalytical study on Sasanian metal objects from Western Iran: A case study

“…Some earliest evidence of metal use in the Iranian Plateau is discovered from Ali Kosh and Chogha Sefid in western Iran (7th millennium BC) (Pernicka, 2004;Thornton, 2009). also earliest evidence of tin bronze metallurgy is found in Kalleh Nisar Bronze Age graveyard, the Luristan region (Fleming et al 2005;Haerinck and Overlaet 2008;Begemann et al 2008). The tradition of copper and bronze metallurgy was continued during the Iron Age (1500-550 BC) in the Luristan region with emerging large scale bronze metallurgy to make ritual and ceremonial bronze object found from graveyards and sanctuaries, named as Luristan Bronzes (Overlaet, 2004;Pigott, 1990;Muscarella, 1988).…”

“…It shows that the Luristan (western Iran) is a pioneer region in archaeometallurgical activities in the Iranian Plateau during the prehistoric period. There are many analytical and archaeological studies about prehistoric metallurgy in western Iran showing the importance of this region in development of copper and bronze metallurgy in the Near East (Oudbashi et al, 2013;Frame, 2010;Fleming et al, 2005;Begemann et al, 2008;Pigott, 2004;Overlaet 2004;2005;Moorey, 1964;1969;Nezafati et al, 2006). Nevertheless, there are no extensive available data about archaeometallurgy of western Iran during the historic period (550 BC-651 AD).…”

Probing the provenance of archaeological glaze colorants: Polychrome faunal reliefs of the Ishtar Gate and the Processional Way of Babylon

“…In addition, alum was imported from Egypt, Sn also from Iranian and Armenian mines (Begemann et al . ; Helwing ; Nezafati et al . ; Oppenheim ), and Fe from Lebanon, Syria and Turkey (e.g., the region of Cilicia).…”

Introduction of the Deh Hosein Ancient Tin-Copper Mine, Western Iran: Evidence From Geology, Archaeology, Geochemistry and Lead Isotope Data

“…4 Isotope plot of lead in ore samples from Deh Hosein in comparison with bronze artefacts from Luristan, UAE, Mesopotamia, and the Aegean (Fig. a and b).Luristan Bronze I refers to the 1st and 2nd millennium BCE artifacts (Nezafati 2006), while Luristan Bronze II refers to the 3rd millennium BCE samples (Begemann et al 2008). Please note that the scale of the diagrams is greatly expanded.…”