Ancient Tin Sources Research Papers

ABSTRACT: This lecture begins with an overview of the Jemdet Nasr period (ca. 3,100 – 2,900 BCE), looking at trends, the emergence of writing (including summing up briefly the prehistoric foundations), developments in art (particularly... more

Tin isotope ratios may be a useful tool for tracing back the tin in archaeological metal artefacts (tin metal, bronze) to the geological source and could provide information on ancient smelting processes. This study presents the results... more

Tin isotope ratios may be a useful tool for tracing back the tin in archaeological metal artefacts (tin metal, bronze) to the geological source and could provide information on ancient smelting processes. This study presents the results of laboratory experiments, which reduced (smelted) synthetic stannic oxide, natural cassiterite and corroded archaeological tin and bronze objects. The overall aim of the study is to find a reliable method for the decomposition of tin ores and corrosion products in order to determine their tin isotopic composition, and to explore possible effects on the tin isotope ratios during pyrometallurgy. We focused on five methods of reduction at high temperatures (900–1100 °C): reduction with CO (plain smelting), reduction with KCN/CO (cyanide reduction), reduction with Na2CO3/CO, reduction with Cu/CO (‘cementation technique’) and reduction with CuO/CO (‘co-smelting’). The smelting products are analysed by means of optical and scanning electron microscopy as well as X-ray diffraction, while their isotope composition is determined with a high-resolution multi-collector mass spectrometer with inductively coupled plasma ionisation. The results show that all five methods decompose synthetic stannic oxide, cassiterite and corrosion products. Ultimately, reduction with KCN is the best solution for analysing tin ores and tin corrosion because the chemical processing is straightforward and it provides the most reproducible results. Reduction with Na2CO3 and copper is an alternative, especially for bronze corrosion, but it requires laborious chemical purification of the sample solutions. In contrast, evaporation of tin and incomplete alloying during plain smelting and co-smelting can cause considerable fractionation among smelting products (Δ124Sn = 0.10 ‰ (0.03 ‰ u−1)). A less precise and even inaccurate determination of the tin isotopic compositions of the tin ores would be the consequence. However, the results of this study help to evaluate the possible influence of the pyrometallurgical processes on the tin isotope composition of tin and bronze artefacts.

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- by Daniel Berger and +1
  Ernst Pernicka
- •
- 17
  Archaeology, Experimental Archaeology, Stable Isotope Analysis, Mass Spectrometry

A brief summary of the Old Assyrian period and its extensive and well-documented trading system written for a general audience. The story of the landscape, politics and culture of Western Asia during the early Middle Bronze Age is told... more

SUMMARY: Lecture 7 summarizes the Early Bronze Age in Anatolia, beginning with the Secondary Products Revolution, copper working, and the nature of EB I-II and EB III occupation across different parts of Anatolia. This lecture is designed... more

SUMMARY: Lecture 7 summarizes the Early Bronze Age in Anatolia, beginning with the Secondary Products Revolution, copper working, and the nature of EB I-II and EB III occupation across different parts of Anatolia. This lecture is designed mainly as an educational resource for college students (i.e., normally posted only on my institution's course website), the public (e.g., people auditing my course), and interested colleagues from other disciplines (to whom I provide copies privately). I am posting it here, both as a broader access, educational tool, and especially to promote the study of this region and its past societies. For further knowledge about this region and period, I refer interested parties to the textbooks and other sources from which the materials were extracted (see syllabus), and/or the bibliographies in these works and my online resource guides (see other files in my academia folders). The lecture summarizes the pertinent materials in the course textbook(s), adding in other data, and furnishing numerous images to clarify information encountered within the textbook(s). Some generic imagery (usually indicated as such) is posted to aid in transmitting various concepts visually, and/or when a specific image remains not located (temporarily). I update and revise such lectures each time, with such elective courses normally being taught once every two years. I try to cover the most current, mainstream views, and usually place summary notes at the end of each lecture alongside some of the key sources used for compiling the ppt. Over time, each lecture is improved, errors rectified, and additional data placed within the lecture. These ppt. lectures take many hours to compile, but they have proved useful to many of my more serious students and I hope they can be of benefit to others as well. My apologies for any errors I may have made, and my liberal usage of educational imagery from professional sources and vetted internet sources. REVISED: New formatting, some text revisions, a few new images (Feb., 2024).

An unexpected new source of tin was recently located at Hisarcık, in the foothills of the Mount Erciyes volcano in the Kayseri Plain, close to the Bronze Age town of Ku ̈ltepe, ancient Kanesh and home to a colony of Assyrian traders.... more

After a long period of prosperity, the Únĕtice (2300-1600 B.C.) – a Central European Early Bronze Age culture – collapsed in few decades without obvious reason. Since Únĕtice was the first bronze metalworkers of Central Europe, we examine... more

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- by Serge Svizzero and +1
  Clement Tisdell
- •
- 11
  Economic History, Sustainable Development, Bronze Age Europe (Archaeology), History of Economics

Archeologia Żywa, Nr 2 (84) 2022, s. 63-69 https://archeologia.com.pl/

Ancient Tin Sources

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