Tin Processing at Göltepe, an Early Bronze Age Site in Anatolia

New Analytical Data From Göltepe Crucibles

“…The remaining four fragments are from area B, located at the northwest corner of the hill from trenches B01 and B09 which are next to each other near the circuit wall. Area B yielded many fragments of crude porous ware with accretions that contain tin oxide and glassy slag dis¬ carded by the circuit wall (Yener and Vandiver 1993). This area may also be considered a workshop where cassiterite processing and smelting took place.…”

“…The crucible fragments were recovered from trenches excavated in areas A and B (Yener and Vandiver 1993). Area A, on the southern part of the mound, had mainly subterranean and semi subterranean pit structures some of which could have been work¬ shops.…”

“…The eleven crucibles selected for this study were of dif ferent sizes, shapes and thicknesses. Yener and Vandiver (1993) have established that similar crucibles fragments that they have studied were generally exposed to different firing temperatures between 700 -800 o C, with a maximum of about 1000 o C. Such variations may indicate that different types of ther mal processing were taking place at Göltepe. Yener and Vandiver (1993) did not associate different types of crucibles with any particular process.…”

“…Yener and Vandiver (1993) have established that similar crucibles fragments that they have studied were generally exposed to different firing temperatures between 700 -800 o C, with a maximum of about 1000 o C. Such variations may indicate that different types of ther mal processing were taking place at Göltepe. Yener and Vandiver (1993) did not associate different types of crucibles with any particular process. In 1993, a total of 28 crucible fragments from Göltepe, most of them in the form of powder from the inner accretion layer, were brought to Boğaziçi Universi¬ ty to determine the tin content of these crucible accretions by atomic absorption spectrometry (Earl and Özbal 1996;Adriaens et al 1999b).…”

“…1) where cassiterite from the Kestel mine was smelted yielded a large number of crucibles of many different sizes and shapes (Yener et al 1989). Archaeometallurgical study of various crucible fragments indicated that they were used for the processing of tin containing materials (Yener and Vandiver 1993;Adriaens et al 1999a). The eleven crucibles selected for this study were of dif ferent sizes, shapes and thicknesses.…”