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Provenance of early bronze age metal artefacts in western Switzerland using elemental and lead isotopic compositions and their possible relation with copper minerals of the nearby Valais

  • Cattin, Florence Laboratory of Prehistoric Archaeology and Human Peopling, Department of Anthropology, University of Geneva, Switzerland - Geology, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Heverlee, Belgium
  • Guénette-Beck, Barbara Geosciences Department, University of Fribourg, Switzerland
  • Curdy, Philippe Musées cantonaux du Valais, Sion, Switzerland
  • Meisser, Nicolas Musée cantonal de géologie, Quartier UNIL – Dorigny, Lausanne, Switzerland
  • Ansermet, Stefan Musée cantonal de géologie, Quartier UNIL – Dorigny, Lausanne, Switzerland
  • Hofmann, Beda Natural History Museum in Bern, Switzerland
  • Kündig, Rainer Schweizerische Geotechnische Kommission, ETH Zurich, Switzerland
  • Hubert, Vera Swiss National Museum, Affoltern a. Albis, Switzerland
  • Wörle, Marie Swiss National Museum, Affoltern a. Albis, Switzerland
  • Hametner, Kathrin ETH Zurich, Department of Chemistry and Applied Bioscience, Laboratory of Inorganic Chemistry, Zurich, Switzerland
  • Günther, Detlef ETH Zurich, Department of Chemistry and Applied Bioscience, Laboratory of Inorganic Chemistry, Zurich, Switzerland
  • Wichser, Adrian Empa - Swiss Federal Laboratories for Material Testing and Research, Duebendorf, Switzerland
  • Ulrich, Andrea Empa - Swiss Federal Laboratories for Material Testing and Research, Duebendorf, Switzerland
  • Villa, Igor M. Institut für Geologie, Universität Bern, Switzerland - Dipartimento di Scienze Geologiche e Geotecnologie, Università di Milano, Italy
  • Besse, Marie Laboratory of Prehistoric Archaeology and Human Peopling, Department of Anthropology, University of Geneva, Switzerland
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    06.01.2011
Published in:
  • Journal of Archaeological Science. - 2011, vol. 38, no. 6, p. 1221-1233
Early Bronze Age
Valais (Switzerland)
copper artefacts
copper ores
material provenance
database
lead isotope ratios
elemental composition
ICP-MS inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry
LA laser ablation
English Ten Early Bronze Age (BzA1, 2200-2000 BC) copper artefacts from the central Valais region from Switzerland were studied for their elemental composition and lead isotope ratios. In order to answer the archaeological question of a local copper supply, a database for copper minerals across the Valais (Switzerland) has been established. This database contains 69 data on lead isotope ratios as well as additional information on the minerals and geochemical associations for copper minerals from 38 locations in the Valais. Comparisons of the artefacts were also made with data pertaining to minerals from various deposits from Europe and Anatolia taken from the literature. The provenance of the materials is very diverse. Some of the data are compatible with the data from the copper mineral deposits of the Valais region. Moreover, three copper lunulae were identified as possibly Tuscan, which demonstrates contacts between Italy and the Valais region. This pattern also establishes a multiplicity of provenances for the metal and cultural influences in the Alpine environment of the Rhone Valley of Switzerland at the beginning of the Early Bronze Age.
Faculty
Faculté des sciences et de médecine
Department
Département de Géosciences
Language
  • English
Classification
Archeology
License
License undefined
Identifiers
Persistent URL
https://folia.unifr.ch/unifr/documents/301648
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