ICP-AES comparative study of some Late Bronze Age hoards: Evidence for low impurity bronzes in the Eastern Alps
✍ Scribed by N. Trampuž Orel; T. Drglin
- Book ID
- 103860460
- Publisher
- Elsevier Science
- Year
- 2005
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 478 KB
- Volume
- 239
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0168-583X
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✦ Synopsis
The chemical composition of ingots from eleven hoards in Slovenia and from one in Austria (the Styria region) from the Late Bronze Age were determined using the ICP-AES method and the total impurities compared. One hundred and twelve plano-convex copper ingots from the earlier LBA phase (12th-11th century BC or Ha A period) revealed, in analogy with contemporary bronzes also analysed in our previous works, prevailing low concentrations of arsenic, antimony and nickel not exceeding 2%, with arsenic as the dominant impurity element. Conversely, in the later LBA phase (11th-10th century BC or Ha B period) totals of the same elements with cobalt included extend from 0.5% to almost 70%, with antimony as the dominant impurity element. The typical high concentration levels of impurities suggested that Fahlore deposits were used for smelting copper in the Ha B period, while chalcopyrite and other types of copper ores having low impurities were used in the earlier Ha A period. Both are typical of Eastern Alpine ore deposits.