Prospects at Parys Mountain

Westhead, Stephen J.

doi:10.1111/j.1365-2451.1991.tb00781.x

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

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“…The geology, mineralization and genesis of Parys Mountain have long been contentious and have been described by Wheatley (1971), Pointon and Ixer (1980), Southwood (1982), Westhead (1991) and are currently being reevaluated by Charter et al 1996). The ores have been described in detail by Pointon and Ixer (1980) and Ixer and Pointon (1980), whilst lists of primary and secondary minerals are given in Southwood and Bevins (1995).…”

Section: Parys Mountainmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Mineralogy of Bronze Age Copper Ores from the British Isles: Implications for the Composition of Early Metalwork

Ixer

Budd

1998

Oxford J Archaeology

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Numerous analytical studies during the latter half of this century have contributed to the compilation of a large compositional database of Early to Middle Bronze Age copper-based artefacts revealing distinctive impurity patterns which appear to change over time. However, attempts to relate these data to copper ore sources proved problematic in the absence of firm evidence for the location of prehistoric copper mines. Over the last fifteen years this situation has changed dramatically with the discovery of numerous Early and Middle Bronze Age copper mines in England and Wales. This study is the first attempt at a comprehensive mineralogical survey of the principal mines investigated to date in order to define the likely composition of the copper ores as mined in antiquity for comparison with the artefact database. The study suggests that the majority of these mines can only have produced essentially pure copper. Only one mine, Ross Island, is likely to have produced copper with a significant level of impurities. The relative purity of the known ore sources is contrasted with significant levels of various metallic impurities among the analysed artefacts, leading to the conclusion that metal circulation and mixing may have been more extensive than previously thought even during the earliest part of the Bronze Age.

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Section: Parys Mountainmentioning

confidence: 99%