On Pins and Needles: Tracing the Evolution of Copper-base Alloying at Tepe Yahya, Iran, via ICP-MS Analysis of Common-place Items

Authors: Thornton C.P.¹; Lamberg-Karlovsky C.C.²; Liezers M.³; Young S.M.M.³

Source: Journal of Archaeological Science, Volume 29, Number 12, December 2002 , pp. 1451-1460(10)

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Abstract:

From 1967 to 1975 a team of archaeologists excavated the site of Tepe Yahya in southeastern Iran under the direction of C. C. Lamberg-Karlovsky. Although there are two forthcoming “final reports” (Hiebert (in progress), and Magee (in press); see also Lamberg-Karlovsky & Potts, 2001), analysis of the materials continues as opportunities allow. Metal artefacts, most especially those made of copper and its alloys, are found at this site from the late Neolithic through the Iron Age. Archaeometallurgical analysis, radiocarbon chronologies, and archaeological interpretation allow one to state when and how a type of metal or a style of object was invented, its use as a trade item, and its function and value to an ancient community. In the hopes of establishing a framework for future archaeometallurgical studies, most of the metal artefacts from Tepe Yahya, Iran, stored in the Peabody Museum of Harvard University, were analysed for elemental composition to complement stylistic and metallographic data. Copyright 2002 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd

Language: English

Document Type: Research article

Affiliations: 1: Department of Anthropology, University of Pennsylvania, 33rd&SpruceSt, Philadelphia, PA19104, U.S.A. 2: Department of Anthropology, Harvard University, 11 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02138, U.S.A. 3: Ion Path, Road 3, Thermo Elemental, Winsford, Cheshire, CW7 3BX, U.K.

Publication date: 2002-12-01