Kastro Palaia settlement, Volos, Greece: a diachronical technological approach to bronze metalwork

• Main Authors: E. Asderaki-Tzoumerkioti, Th Rehren, E. Skafida, M. Vaxevanopoulos, P. J. Connolly
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2017-12-01
• Series: Science and Technology of Archaeological Research
• Subjects: Iolkos; copper metallurgy; copper ores; XRF; SEM-EDS; lead isotopes
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/20548923.2018.1427182

The paper examines diachronically the technological knowledge and the level of copper metallurgy at Kastro Palaia, Volos, in Magnesia, examining various objects with dates from the Early Bronze Age through to the Early Christian era. Of the 70 objects that have been examined so far using pXRF, a small sample was selected for further metallographic and chemical analyses. In this way, the manufacturing processes for the production of each object were identified, as well as the alloy used. Combining the results of these two methods with the typology of the objects provided safe conclusions concerning the technological knowledge and the specialisation of metal production at Kastro Palaia from the Bronze Age to the Early Christian era. In the end, the potential provenance of the copper was also examined.