2020/05/11 by Anne Birgitte Gebauer, Lasse Sørensen, Michelle Taube +1 · 1 citation
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Arts and Humanities · Physics and Astronomy · #Archaeology and ancient environmental studies #Cultural Heritage Materials Analysis #X-ray Spectroscopy and Fluorescence Analysis #Crucible (geodemography) #Ancient history #Archaeology #History #Metallurgy #Materials science #Demography #Sociology
paper · doi:10.1017/eaa.2019.73
openalex publication_date 2020/05/11 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/04
In this article we present the fragments of a crucible and a possible tuyère that provide evidence of early copper metallurgy in Scandinavia at least 1500 years earlier than previously thought. The technical ceramics were found in a cultural layer containing Early Neolithic Funnel Beaker pottery dating to around 3800–3500 bc beneath a long barrow dating to 3300–3100 bc . The presence of a copper alloy in the crucible is confirmed by three independent X-ray fluorescence analyses using both a hand-held and a stationary instrument, SEM-EDS analysis of a cross-section, as well as a Bruker Tornado μ-X-Ray-fluorescence scanner (μ-XRF). The transmission of metallurgy to southern Scandinavia coincided with the introduction of long barrows, causewayed enclosures, two-aisled houses, and certain types of artefacts. Thus, metallurgy seems to be part of the new networks that enabled the establishment of a fully Neolithic society.