The earliest silver currency hoards in the Southern Levant: Metal trade in the transition from the Middle to the Late Bronze Age

Eshel, Tzilla; Gilboa, Ayelet; Tirosh, Ofir; Erel, Yigal; Yahalom-Mack, Naama

doi:10.1016/j.jas.2022.105705

Cited by 11 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 67 publications

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“…More than 40 silver hoards unearthed in the Southern Levant, remnants of 1400 years (~2000-600 BCE) during which silver was a central means of exchange in the region, form a large and accessible database (Figure 2; [25,27,28]). Based on Pb isotopic and chemical analyses of 250 items from 22 silver hoards, we identified the sources of silver in these hoards throughout the Bronze and Iron Ages [6,26,30,31]. We showed that during this long period, the sources of silver changed over time.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…The chemical composition of the silver is less useful for provenance since most of the elements are either largely removed during production or their concentrations depend on the quality of the cupellation process [6,22]. A few elements (Pb, Au and Bi) can sometimes be used in order to identify idiosyncrasies resulting from the use of different ores [6,[22][23][24][25][26]. (Drawing by S. Matskevich; Reproduced after [25]).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Silver Isotopes in Silver Suggest Phoenician Innovation in Metal Production

et al. 2022

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The current study presents Ag isotopic values of 45 silver artifacts with known Pb isotopic composition from the Southern Levant. These items originate from seven pre-coinage silver hoards, dating from the Middle Bronze Age IIC to the end of the Iron Age (~1650–600 BCE). These are the earliest silver artifacts analyzed for Ag isotopes; all former studies were performed on coins. All the sampled silver in this study contains relatively unfractionated Ag (−2 ≤ ε109Ag ≤ 1.5) that was more likely produced from hypogene, primary Ag-bearing minerals (e.g., galena and jarosite) and not from native, supergene silver. Four of the sampled hoards containing silver from Anatolia and the West Mediterranean (Iberia and Sardinia) are associated with the Phoenician quest for silver (~950–700 BCE). A significant amount of this Phoenician silver (12/28 items) plots within a narrower range of −0.5 ≤ ε109Ag ≤ 0.5. This is in contrast to non-Phoenician silver, which mostly underwent some degree of fractionation (16/17 items ε109Ag ≥ I0.5I). The results suggest that while all silver was exploited from primary ore sources, the Phoenicians dug deeper into the deposits, reaching ore minerals that did not undergo any weathering-associated fractionation. The results also call for further investigation regarding the influence of sealing and bundling in silver hoards on post-depositional fractionation of Ag isotopes.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Silver Isotopes in Silver Suggest Phoenician Innovation in Metal Production

et al. 2022

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“…Spinel clinopyroxenite displays a slightly positive δ 109 Ag value of +0.024‰. By compiling the data set from previous studies, ,− ,,,,, the histogram of δ 109 Ag in silver coins and the hydrothermal ore deposits shows normal Gaussian distributions (Figure a). Besides, the δ 109 Ag values of Balmuccia ultramafic rocks and BHVO-2 are compared to those of other terrestrial rocks (Figure b).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 91%

“…(a) Histogram of δ 109 Ag in silver coins and ore samples and (b) distribution of δ 109 Ag in terrestrial rocks from previous contributions and this work relative to NIST SRM 978a and the BSE. Data derived from previous studies, ,− ,,,,, and this work.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Accurate Determination of Silver Isotopic Composition in Silicate Rocks with Low Silver Abundance

Zhu,

Wei,

Wang

et al. 2023

ACS Earth Space Chem.

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Owing to the extremely low abundance of silver in the Earth’s crust and mantle, it remains a major challenge to eliminate matrix impurities to obtain accurate silver isotopic compositions in silicate rocks. To determine precise and accurate silver isotopic data in silicates, we have modified the traditional pretreatment procedures, assessed isobaric interference and matrix effects, and analyzed silver isotopic compositions in silicates. By modification of the silicate digestion and ion-exchange procedures, efficient elution of silver was achieved. The doping experimental results indicated that the matrix effect induced by Ti and Cr could be satisfactorily corrected using the internal standard Pd isotope pair of 108Pd–106Pd. The modified chemical chromatographic method effectively separates Ni from Ag in silicate samples, thereby minimizing the significant isobaric interference from Ni cations. As a result, the shifts in the δ109Ag value caused by cations can be corrected to less than 0.02‰. There are considerable shifts down to −0.82‰ in δ109Ag from the accepted δ109Ag value when soluble metasilicate is present in the solution, which might explain the discrepancies in measured δ109Ag values for silicate materials. To accurately analyze silver isotopic compositions, especially of silicates with extremely low silver abundance, a silver standard doping method with an optimum doping proportion (sample-to-standard material ratio of 2:8) has been shown to produce an acceptable measurement uncertainty from 0.04 to 0.06‰ (2SD). The high-precision δ109Ag value determined in this study for ultramafic rocks from Balmuccia and the basalt reference material, BHVO-2, of −0.044 ± 0.062‰ is consistent with that of −0.16 ± 0.07‰ reported by previous studies. Our study paves the way for the more extensive use of silver isotopes in studies of terrestrial/extraterrestrial rocks, something that will be of help in constraining the sources of precious metals in polymetallic ore deposits as well as core formation and volatile-element depletion in the early solar system.

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“…1B). Recent studies highlight the continuity of metal exploitation in the Eastern Mediterranean and their diffusion towards the west after the collapse of Bronze Age civilizations at the beginning of the Iron Age, primarily through maritime trade (Eshel et al, 2019 ;2023). This ongoing harbour activity during the centuries of the LBA/EIA transition would have made Lechaion a central site in Eastern Mediterranean, whose economic significance led to its likely expansion and the construction of monumental port structures from the 7 th century BCE onwards.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Harbour geoarchaeology of Lechaion (Corinth area, Greece) sheds new light on economics during the Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age transition

Chabrol,

Delile,

Baron

et al. 2023

Marine Geology

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The earliest silver currency hoards in the Southern Levant: Metal trade in the transition from the Middle to the Late Bronze Age

Cited by 11 publications

References 67 publications

Silver Isotopes in Silver Suggest Phoenician Innovation in Metal Production

Silver Isotopes in Silver Suggest Phoenician Innovation in Metal Production

Accurate Determination of Silver Isotopic Composition in Silicate Rocks with Low Silver Abundance

Harbour geoarchaeology of Lechaion (Corinth area, Greece) sheds new light on economics during the Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age transition

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