Moving metals IV: Swords, metal sources and trade networks in Bronze Age Europe

Ling, Johan; Hjärthner‐Holdar, Eva; Grandin, Lena; Stos-Gale, Zofia; Kristiansen, Kristian; Melheim, Anne Lene; Artioli, Gilberto; Angelini, Ivana; Krause, Rüdiger; Canovaro, Caterina

doi:10.1016/j.jasrep.2019.05.002

Cited by 39 publications

(58 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…The three possible sources for the raw material used for the metal artefacts of the Ølby burial, as suggested by our data, mirror the three main metal suppliers that have recently been recognized for Scandinavian artefacts during this period: the Slovakian mountains, the Trentino region in northern Italy and the Mitterberg mining area in Austria (Melheim et al 2018;Bunnefeld 2016) (Figure 3). Although not evident in the material from Ølby, other metal objects from period II of the Nordic Bronze Age also show evidence of raw materials from an additional metal source from the Welsh mining region (Ling et al 2019, Melheim et al 2018.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 87%

Ølby Woman:

Reiter

Frei

Nørgaard

et al. 2019

DJA

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The Early Nordic Bronze Age oak coffin burials include some of Europe’s best preserved human remains. Although traditional typological examinations thereof have not always found clear foreign references, recent provenance investigations from Egtved and Skrydstrup suggest that the two women were of non-local provenance. In order to investigate potential mobility patterns and how these might or might not be related to the archaeological evidence, we conducted comprehensive multi-analytical investigations on the Ølby Woman, another key female oak coffin burial. Her grave included large metal items, the remains of a corded skirt and a glass bead recently identified as of Egyptian origin. Strontium isotope analyses of the dental enamel of Ølby’s first, second and third molars investigate her provenance and potential mobility through childhood. Furthermore, we conducted lead isotope analyses and craft technical analyses of her belt plate and sword/dagger. Our results reveal that the Ølby female’s strontium isotope signatures fall within the local baseline, suggesting that she was of local origin. The metal provenance studies and craft technical studies of the belt plate and sword suggest that the objects were manufactured in Scandinavia, while the raw materials for each item were imported from different places in Europe.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 87%

Ølby Woman:

Reiter

Frei

Nørgaard

et al. 2019

DJA

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“…This region has not previously figured as a potential source of metal to Scandinavia, but in this study it becomes clear that the region was a significant source of copper for the northerners during a period of more than five hundred years, c. 1500-900 BCE. A comparative study of Middle Bronze Age swords from Scandinavia, Germany and Italy confirms that after c. 1300 BCE the Italian Alps became the dominant supplier of metal for swords in all three regions, regardless of style (Ling et al, 2019). This may further be considered to indicate that copper was not first and foremost traded as finished objects, but as raw material/ingots, a result supported by the identification of oxhide ingot depictions in Scandinavian rock art , but see Nørgaard et al, 2019 for a different opinion).…”

Section: Metal Circulation and Cultural Exchange -Setting The Agendamentioning

confidence: 84%

Rock Art and Trade Networks: From Scandinavia to the Italian Alps

Melheim

Sand-Eriksen

2020

Open Archaeology

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This article uses rock art to explore potential bonds between Scandinavia and Italy, starting in the second half of the third millennium BCE with the enigmatic Mjeltehaugen burial monument in coastal western Norway and its striking rock art images, and ending in the first millennium BCE with ship motifs in inland Val Camonica, Italy. While the carved dagger on the Mjeltehaugen slab is unique in its Nordic setting, such weapon depictions are frequently seen on the Continent, e.g. in South Tyrol, and more often in later Nordic rock art. Strong evidence of trade relations between the Italian Alps and Scandinavia is found c. 1500–1100 BCE when the importation of copper from South Tyrol coincided with two-way transmission of luxury items, and again in a different form, c. 1000–700 BCE when strong similarities in burial traditions between the two areas may be seen as evidence of direct cultural connections or a shared cultural koiné. In order to understand the social fabric of these relations and how they unfolded through time, the authors discuss several different models of interaction. It is hypothesised that rock art practices played a role in establishing and maintaining durable social relations, through what we consider to be a two-way transmission of symbolic concepts and iconography during seasonal meetings related to trade and travel.

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“…The metal assemblages of the high elites are based upon a primary alloying practice and the use of cleaner copper, whereas those of the low elites are made by secondary alloying practices, revealing a fundamentally ‘hierarchical structure’ in the practices of alloying, mixing and recycling at Anyang. As with highly valued objects such as swords in Europe 4 , the objects owned by high elites at Anyang, particularly bronze ritual vessels, appear relatively unlikely to have been made by recycling or mixing, and are therefore more suitable for provenance studies. Recycling is not just driven by economic considerations, but also by many other demands.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Indigenous sources of metal were scarce, and so such imported objects were exploited as a source of raw material. In contrast, elite swords, which are commonly considered to be objects with high functional and symbolic value in broader Bronze Age Europe, contained very little recycled metal 4 . In later periods, where more textual information is available alongside the archaeological and archaeometric data, one can gain much more specific knowledge about the spiritual and religious power of the objects and how recycling can affect such powers 5 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social hierarchy and the choice of metal recycling at Anyang, the last capital of Bronze Age Shang China

Liu

Pollard

Cao

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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Anyang, the last capital of the Chinese Shang dynasty, became one of the largest metal consumers in Eurasia during the second millennium BCE. However, it remains unclear how Anyang people managed to sustain such a large supply of metal. By considering the chemical analysis of bronze objects within archaeological contexts, this paper shows that the casting and circulation of metal at Anyang was effectively governed by social hierarchy. Objects belonging to the high elites such as Fuhao, particularly the bronze ritual vessels, were made by carefully controlled alloying practice (primary) using very pure copper, whereas the lower elites only had access to bronzes made by secondary alloying practice and copper with more impurities. Such contrasts allow scholars to identify those objects which are less likely to have been made by mixing and recycling, which has very important implications for the chemical and isotopic determination of provenance for future studies.

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Moving metals IV: Swords, metal sources and trade networks in Bronze Age Europe

Cited by 39 publications

References 29 publications

Ølby Woman:

Ølby Woman:

Rock Art and Trade Networks: From Scandinavia to the Italian Alps

Social hierarchy and the choice of metal recycling at Anyang, the last capital of Bronze Age Shang China

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