Session: #520

Session, made up of a combination of papers, max. 15 minutes each

Archaeometallurgy, as the archaeology of the production and use of metals, benefits from advances in a wide range of disciplines. However, no major methodological advances have been reported since the introduction of lead isotope analyses. Nevertheless, significant progress has been made in related fields and new approaches are emerging. Among them the most prominent are “Big data”, quantitative modelling, and newly accessible isotope systems, as they were (among others) summarised by Kristian Kristiansen as the “third science revolution”. Additionally, self-perception of archaeometallurgy is challenged by today’s wide spread performance of smelting and melting experiments as they have a strong influence on the perception of archaeometallurgy in the public and its definition.

We welcome contributions from the wide spectrum of archaeometallurgical research (analytical and archaeological investigation of metals and their by-products, experimental approaches, technological studies, mining archaeology, modelling, etc.). The main goal is to find answers to the question, how archaeometallurgy as an archaeology of metals in the 21st century should be. How will it to be able to advance beyond the established ways? What are the recent developments and emerging research fields? What are today’s limits, and how can they be pushed forward? Can we formulate research program(s) for the next decades?

archaeometallurgy, archaeometry, metals, mining, technology

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Thomas Rose (Germany) ¹

Eveline Salzmann (Germany) ¹
Thomas Birch (Denmark) ²
Martin Odler (Czech Republic) ³