Copper processing in the oases of northwest Arabia: technology, alloys and provenance

Abstract

a b s t r a c tVery little is known about early metallurgical activity in the north-western part of the Arabian Peninsula, despite the region's cultural importance. To begin to address this research lacuna, metallurgical remains including crucible fragments, metal dross and a copper artefact were sampled from two oases in northwest Arabia, Qurayyah and Tayma. The metallurgical activity in Qurayyah is dated to the Late Bronze Age, and in Tayma to the Roman/Late Roman period. At both sites we identified evidence for copper alloying and refining. Small scale copper smelting might also have been practiced in Qurayyah. Arsenical copper was processed at both sites, but in Tayma tin bronze and leaded tin bronze dominated. The chemical analysis of metal prills in crucible linings showed that fresh copper and tin instead of scrap metal were employed in these processes. Lead isotope analysis indicates that at least some of the Tayma metal was imported. Access to raw materials from remote areas is consistent with the importance of Tayma in the trading network of northwest Arabia.

Copper for the Pharaoh: Identifying multiple metal sources for Ramesses' workshops from bronze and crucible remains

“…LI data for Sardinian and Cretan ores and objects (Oxalid), as well as Arabian Shield Massive Sulphide Deposits (Bokhari and Kramers, 1982), galena (Stacey et al, 1980) and whole rock data (Ellam et al, 1990), and metal artefacts from Yemen (Weeks et al, 2009) were compared (not shown here), but did not reveal close resemblance to the Pi-Ramesse samples. While it is possible that ore deposits in the Arabian Shield area (Saudi Arabia, Yemen) provided important copper supplies to the LBA eastern Mediterranean (Liu et al, 2015), this hypothesis cannot be further explored in absence of copper ore data.…”

“…The well-known Egyptian interactions along the Red Sea with the 'Land of Punt' (Dixon, 2004;Fattovich, 2012;Meeks, 2003) et al, 2009). Though no isotopic evidence is currently available to suggest this, this source is worth considering in the future (Liu et al, 2015).…”

“…These issues are important to bear in mind when contemplating future studies, and prompt the critical appraisal of crucible slag LI data previously published (e.g., Lehner et al, 2009;Liu et al, 2015;Willet and Sayre, 2006). Metal droplets isolated from crucible slag for analysis, such as those analysed by Ling et al (2014), offer more reliable data though attention to lead content remains crucial.…”

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

“…, ) and Cu imported from the oases of north‐west Arabia or from Cyprus (Liu et al . , passim ; Millard ). In addition, alum was imported from Egypt, Sn also from Iranian and Armenian mines (Begemann et al .…”

The dwarf palm tree of the king: aNannorrhops ritchianain the 24th-23rdcentury BC palace of Jericho

“…This helps to backdate the possible use of the dwarf palm as a religious symbol/cult object.Recent finds in the north-western Arabian oases of Qurraya and Tabukm, may antedate direct contacts between the Southern Levant and the Arabian Peninsula to the Early Bronze Age.Connections between Tayma and the Levant are demonstrated for the final stage of the period (Early Bronze Age IVB) and in the following Middle Bronze Age, and accentuated during the Late Bronze Age (LBA), when political and commercial contacts extended to Egypt, the Mediterranean, Assyria and Babylonia(Liu et al 2015). The establishment of actual trade routes between the southern Arabian Peninsula and the Levant is dated to the LBA, involving the trade of incense and copper(Liu et al 2015), enriched during the Early Iron Age with the trade of iron(Renzi et al 2016). Although the cited studies refer to more recent archaeological periods, it is evident that this geographical area represented a fundamental junction point between…”