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Reconstructing prehistoric metallurgical knowledge: the northern Italian Copper and Bronze Ages

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 January 2017

Mark Pearce
Mark Pearce*
Affiliation:
University of Nottingham
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Abstract

The paper attempts to integrate the results of chemical analyses, which are seriously underused in archaeological discourse, with other classes of information in order to try to interpret ancient metal working behaviour and knowledge within a semiotic framework, adopting the modernist premise that ancient metalworking was both rational and deliberate. A number of case studies from northern Italy is discussed. In the first it is noted that in the Copper Age Remedello culture arsenical copper was used for halberds and daggers while purer copper was used for flat axes; it is suggested that this distinction reflects deliberate choice and explanations are offered for it. The second case study regards the interpretation of the Pieve Albignola early Bronze Age axe hoard; evidence for the workshop practices of ancient bronzesmiths and for the use of axe preforms as ingots is discussed. The third case study concerns the swords and daggers of the middle and recent Bronze Age; finds context (tombs and wetlands) are discussed and it is suggested that metal analyses may indicate that sometimes these artefacts are not primarily functional.

Cet article essaie d'intégrer les résultats d'analyses chimiques, (qui sont loin d'être suffisamment utilisés dans Ie discours archéologique), à d'autres classes d'information, afin de tenter d'interpréter les comportements et le savoir liés au travail ancien des métaux, dans un cadre sémiotique, en adoptant la prémisse moderniste selon laquelle le travail ancien des métaux était rationnel et délibéré. On examine de nombreuses études de cas de l'Italie du nord. Dans le premier cas, on utilisait du cuivre arsenical de la culture Remedello pour fabriquer des hallebardes et des poignards, tandis que l'on utilisait du cuivre plus pur pour les haches plates. On montre aussi que cette distinction semble refléter un choix délibéré et on donne diverses explications pour soutenir cette hypothèse. Le second cas concerne l'interprétation de la découverte du dépôt des haches de Pieve Albignola au début de l'âge de bronze: on discute des preuves qui expliquent la manière dont on forgeait le bronze à cette époque, dans les ateliers de forge, ainsi que de la possibilité pour les haches préformées de servir de lingots. La troisième étude de cas porte sur les épées et les poignards du milieu et de la fin de l'âge de bronze: on traite des lieux de découvertes (tombes et marécages) et des analyses des métaux, ceci laissent parfois à penser, qu'à l'origine, ces objets n'étaient pas fabriqués dans un but fonctionnel.

Zusammenfassung

Zusammenfassung

Dieser Beitrag versucht die Ergebnisse chemischer Analysen, die im archäologischen Diskurs bei weitem nicht oft genug herangezogen werden, mit anderen Arten von Informationen zu integrieren, um zu versuchen, früheres Metallbearbeitungsverhalten und wissen innerhalb eines semiotischen Rahmens zu interpretieren. Dabei wird von der modernistischen Prämisse ausgegangen, daß frühere Metallbearbeitung rational und überlegt vorsichgegangen ist. Eine Reihe von norditalienischen Fallstudien wird vorgestellt. In der ersten wird festgestellt, daß in der kupferzeitlichen Remedellokultur für Stabdolche und Dolche arsenhaltiges Kupfer, für Flachäxte aber reines Kupfer verwendet wurde; es wird vorgeschlagen, diesen Unterschied als Widerspiegelung einer bewußten Wahl zu sehen; entsprechende Erklärungen dafür werden angeboten. Die zweite Fallstudie betrifft die Interpretation des frühbronzezeitlichen Beilhordes von Pieve Albignola; es werden Hinweise auf die Werkstattpraktiken damaliger Bronzeschmiede und auf den Gebrauch von Beil-Vorformen als Metallbarren diskutiert. Die dritte Fallstudie befaßt sich mit Schwertern und Dolchen der mittleren und jüngeren Bronzezeit, deren Fundzusammenhänge (Gräber und Feuchtgebiete) vorgestellt werden; die Ergebnisse von Metallanalysen legen nahe, daß diese Artefakte in erster Linie nicht funktional waren.

Keywords

Bronze AgeCopper Agemetal analysismetal workingnorthern Italy
Type
Articles
Information
European Journal of Archaeology , Volume 1 , Issue 1 , 1998 , pp. 51 - 70
Copyright
Copyright © 1998 Sage Publications 

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