Early Metallurgy of Eastern Xinjiang

This paper examines the form and chemical composition of metal artifacts of three successive cultures of the Hami region. The metal artifacts of the Tianshanbeilu culture are rather diverse in both type and material; body ornaments are dominant, whereas tools and weapons are quantitatively modest. The typological composition and the predominance of body ornaments made of tin bronze, pure copper, and arsenic copper are reminiscent of the Karasuk culture in the Minusinsk Basin and the Siba culture in the Hexi Corridor. Apart from the bulk metal types, there are gold, lead, and antimonial copper. The metal artifacts of the succeeding culture of Yanbulake are morphologically derived from Tianshanbeilu. In the subsequent Heigouliang culture, apart from old types of metal artifacts inherited from the Yanbulake culture, there are a number of new types of artifacts that are morphologically derived from nomadic cultures in the Eurasian steppe. In the cultures of Yanbulake and Heigouliang, the use of tin bronze, arsenic copper, and pure copper prevailed. The source of minerals, especially tin, which is used throughout the three successive cultures, awaits further investigation. Keywords: Xinjiang, Bronze Age, Early Iron Age, metallurgy, Eurasia

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The emergence of the Scythians: Bronze Age to Iron Age in South Siberia

Antiquity ◽

10.1017/s0003598x00094461 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 80 (310) ◽

pp. 843-859 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

Sophie Legrand

Keyword(s):

Material Culture ◽

Bronze Age ◽

Iron Age ◽

Way Of Life ◽

Eurasian Steppe ◽

The People ◽

Minusinsk Basin ◽

South Siberia ◽

History Of ◽

First Millennium

The Minusinsk Basin is located where China, Mongolia, Siberia and Kazakhstan meet. Enclosed, but broad, and rich in copper and other minerals, the valley offers missing links between the prehistory of China and that of the greater Russian steppes. In the late Bronze Age the material from Minusinsk was important for the origins of bronze metallurgy in China, and in the Iron Age the area was a focus for the development of that equestrian mobility which was to become the elite way of life for much of the Eurasian steppe for more than a millennium.We are privileged to publish the following two papers deriving from research at the Institute for the History of Material Culture at Saint Petersburg, which give us the story so far on the archaeology of this remarkable place. In The emergence of the Karasuk culture Sophie Legrand discusses the people who occupied the Minusinsk Basin in the Bronze Age, and in The emergence of the Tagar culture, Nikolai Bokovenko introduces us to their successors, the horsemen and barrow-builders of the first millennium BCE.

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Ancient genomic time transect from the Central Asian Steppe unravels the history of the Scythians

Science Advances ◽

10.1126/sciadv.abe4414 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 (13) ◽

pp. eabe4414

Author(s):

Guido Alberto Gnecchi-Ruscone ◽

Elmira Khussainova ◽

Nurzhibek Kahbatkyzy ◽

Lyazzat Musralina ◽

Maria A. Spyrou ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Bronze Age ◽

Iron Age ◽

Gene Pools ◽

Social Rules ◽

Eurasian Steppe ◽

Central Asian ◽

Genome Wide ◽

Genome Wide Data ◽

History Of ◽

First Millennium

The Scythians were a multitude of horse-warrior nomad cultures dwelling in the Eurasian steppe during the first millennium BCE. Because of the lack of first-hand written records, little is known about the origins and relations among the different cultures. To address these questions, we produced genome-wide data for 111 ancient individuals retrieved from 39 archaeological sites from the first millennia BCE and CE across the Central Asian Steppe. We uncovered major admixture events in the Late Bronze Age forming the genetic substratum for two main Iron Age gene-pools emerging around the Altai and the Urals respectively. Their demise was mirrored by new genetic turnovers, linked to the spread of the eastern nomad empires in the first centuries CE. Compared to the high genetic heterogeneity of the past, the homogenization of the present-day Kazakhs gene pool is notable, likely a result of 400 years of strict exogamous social rules.

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Prehistoric copper from the Eastern Alps

Open Journal of Archaeometry ◽

10.4081/arc.2013.e25 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

pp. 25 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Joachim Lutz ◽

Ernst Pernicka

Keyword(s):

Bronze Age ◽

Iron Age ◽

Analytical Data ◽

Eastern Alps ◽

Ore Deposits ◽

Copper Production ◽

Early Bronze Age ◽

Late Bronze Age ◽

Metal Artifacts ◽

Metal Artefacts

The rich copper ore deposits in the Eastern Alps have long been considered as important sources for copper in prehistoric Central Europe. It is, however, not so clear which role each deposit played. To evaluate the amount of prehistoric copper production of the various mining regions it was attempted to link prehistoric metal artefacts with copper ores based on the geochemical characteristics of the ore deposits that have been exploited in ancient times. More than 120 ore samples from the well known mining districts Mitterberg, Viehhofen, Kitzbühel and Schwaz/Brixlegg have been analysed so far (lead isotope ratios, trace elements). Furthermore, about 730 archaeological copper/bronze artifacts were investigated and analysed. These results were combined with analytical data generated by previous archaeometallurgical projects in order to compile a substantial database for comparative studies. In the Early Bronze Age, most metal artifacts were made of copper or bronze with fahlore impurity patterns and most finds from this period match excellently the fahlore deposits in Schwaz and Brixlegg. At the end of the Early Bronze Age, a new variety of copper with lower concentrations of impurities appeared. The impurity patterns of these finds match the ores from the Mitterberg district. In the Middle Bronze Age, this variety of copper Dominated while in the Late Bronze Age fahlores from Schwaz and Brixlegg experienced a comeback. The reason for this may be a decline of the chalcopyrite mines or a rising demand for copper which could not be covered by the chalcopyrite mines alone. The finds of the Early Iron Age are of similar composition and continue the traditions of the Late Bronze Age.

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NEW FINDS OF THE KOBAN-KOLCHIS METAL ARTIFACTS IN THE NORTHEASTERN BLACK SEA COASTLINE AREA (KRASNODAR REGION). EARLIER UNKNOWN AREA OF THE KOBAN-KOLCHIS BRONZES

Краткие сообщения Института археологии (КСИА) ◽

10.25681/iaras.0130-2620.264.105-126 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 105-126

Author(s):

А. Ю. Скаков ◽

М. И. Кудин ◽

А. С. Кизилов

Keyword(s):

Bronze Age ◽

Black Sea ◽

Iron Age ◽

Large Scale ◽

Early Iron Age ◽

Metal Artifacts ◽

Adjacent Part ◽

Krasnodar Region ◽

Unknown Area ◽

Blank Spot

В статье вводятся в научный оборот случайные находки последних десятилетий из района города-курорта Сочи и прилегающей части Туапсинского района, относящиеся к периоду поздней бронзы - раннего железа. До недавнего времени этот регион оставался своего рода «белым пятном» на археологической карте. Культурная принадлежность населения этого региона для рассматриваемого периода также оставалась неясной. Представленная коллекция случайных находок относится к нескольким хронологическим горизонтам - кон. II тыс. до н. э., VIII-VII вв. до н. э., VI-IV вв. до н. э. Для VIII-IV вв. до н. э. имеются определенные основания предполагать существование на этой территории самостоятельной археологической культуры в рамках кобано-колхидской культурно-исторической общности. Культура эта характеризуется синкретичностью, наличием как ярких кобано-колхидских, так и протомеотских и, в дальнейшем, меотских черт. Рассматривать этот регион как контактную зону представляется затруднительным из-за наличия некоторых ярких культурных маркеров, а именно слабо представленных в соседних ареалах бронзовых дуговидных фибул с кольцевыми утолщениями по краям дужки. Уверенно выделить новую, своеобразную культуру Восточного Причерноморья раннего железного века можно будет только после проведения новых широкомасштабных археологических исследований. The paper introduces into scientific discourse chance finds of recent decades from the district of the Sochi resort-city and the adjacent part of the Tuapse district dating to the Late Bronze Age - Early Iron Age. Until recently, this region remained something of a ‘blank spot’ on the archaeological map. Cultural attribution of the population in this region also remained unclear. The published assemblage of chance finds is dated to several chronological horizons: late II mill. BC, 8th-th cc. BC, 6th-4th cc. BC. Regarding the 8th-4th cc. BC, there are grounds to believe that bearers of a distinctive archaeological culture forming part of the overall Koban-Kolchis cultural unity inhabited this area. The culture is characterized by syncretism and presence of both salient Koban-Kolchis features and proto-Maeotian features and, subsequently, Maeotian features. It is difficult to consider this region as a contact zone due to presence of some impressive cultural markers, namely, bronze arched fibulae with ring thickened parts along the hoop. It will be possible to single out a distinctive Early Iron Age culture of the eastern Black Sea coastline region only after large-scale archaeological excavations and research.

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Ancient genomes suggest the eastern Pontic-Caspian steppe as the source of western Iron Age nomads

Science Advances ◽

10.1126/sciadv.aat4457 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 4 (10) ◽

pp. eaat4457 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

Maja Krzewińska ◽

Gülşah Merve Kılınç ◽

Anna Juras ◽

Dilek Koptekin ◽

Maciej Chyleński ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Bronze Age ◽

Iron Age ◽

Far East ◽

Southern Urals ◽

The Southern Urals ◽

Eurasian Steppe ◽

Chronological Sequence ◽

Different Populations ◽

Direct Ancestor ◽

Shared Genetic

For millennia, the Pontic-Caspian steppe was a connector between the Eurasian steppe and Europe. In this scene, multidirectional and sequential movements of different populations may have occurred, including those of the Eurasian steppe nomads. We sequenced 35 genomes (low to medium coverage) of Bronze Age individuals (Srubnaya-Alakulskaya) and Iron Age nomads (Cimmerians, Scythians, and Sarmatians) that represent four distinct cultural entities corresponding to the chronological sequence of cultural complexes in the region. Our results suggest that, despite genetic links among these peoples, no group can be considered a direct ancestor of the subsequent group. The nomadic populations were heterogeneous and carried genetic affinities with populations from several other regions including the Far East and the southern Urals. We found evidence of a stable shared genetic signature, making the eastern Pontic-Caspian steppe a likely source of western nomadic groups.

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Chronology and Possible Links Between Climatic and Cultural Change During the First Millennium Bc in Southern Siberia and Central Asia

Radiocarbon ◽

10.1017/s0033822200039576 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 46 (1) ◽

pp. 259-276 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

G I Zaitseva ◽

B van Geel ◽

N A Bokovenko ◽

K V Chugunov ◽

V A Dergachev ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Central Asia ◽

Bronze Age ◽

Iron Age ◽

Cultural Change ◽

Sediment Cores ◽

Steppe Zone ◽

Southern Siberia ◽

Eurasian Steppe ◽

First Millennium ◽

Geochemical Analyses

We reconstructed climate change during the second half of the Holocene for the Minusinsk (southern Siberia) and the Uyuk (Central Asia) valleys in the Eurasian steppe zone. Sediment cores from 2 lakes and a soil profile from the Arzhan-2 burial mount were investigated. We combined pollen and geochemical analyses and radiocarbon dating with the archaeological record. A sharp increase of human population density occurred at the transition from the Bronze Age to Iron Age (about 2700 cal BP). The most representative Scythian culture started in the Uyuk and the Minusinsk valleys after increased humidity and occupation capacity of the steppe zone during the 9th century BC.

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The Production of Copper Alloys in Iron Age Britain

Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society ◽

10.1017/s0079497x00002851 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 62 ◽

pp. 399-421 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

D.B. Dungworth

Keyword(s):

Bronze Age ◽

Iron Age ◽

Analytical Method ◽

Copper Alloy ◽

Copper Alloys ◽

Roman Period ◽

Late Bronze Age ◽

Tin Bronze ◽

Quantitative Analyses ◽

Selection Of

This paper presents a selection of compositional analyses of Iron Age copper alloy artefacts from northern Britain. The results were obtained as part of a larger project which examined Iron Age and Roman copper alloys in northern Britain (the region from the Trent-Mersey to the Forth-Clyde). The quantitative analyses were carried out using EDXRF on drilled or polished samples. Comparisons are made with results from the late Bronze Age and early Roman period in northern Britain. The results are also compared with those already published from a range of Iron Age sites in southern England. The large total number of copper alloy analyses from the British Iron Age has made possible a synthesis of the data which has largely been assembled piecemeal. It is now clear that a tin bronze was the principal copper alloy for much of the Iron Age. The composition of this alloy is distinct from the alloys used in the Late Bronze Age and during the Roman period although there is considerable ‘blurring’ at the transitions. A brief outline of the analytical method employed and the analytical results are included.

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The Excavation of a Settlement of the Later Bronze Age and Iron Age at Myrehead, Falkirk District

Glasgow Archaeological Journal ◽

10.3366/gas.1983.10.10.41 ◽

1983 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 41-71 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

G J Barclay

Keyword(s):

Bronze Age ◽

Iron Age ◽

Farming System ◽

Activity Period ◽

Limited Evidence ◽

Ring Groove ◽

Domestic Activity ◽

First Millennium ◽

First Millennium Bc ◽

Actual Settlement

SUMMARY Myrehead has revealed the eroded remnants of activity from the Beaker period (Period A) onwards, with actual settlement evinced only from about the early first millennium be. The three houses and the cooking pits of Period B may have been constructed and used sequentially. This open settlement was probably replaced during the mid first millennium bc, possibly without a break, by a palisaded enclosure (Period C), which may have contained a ring-groove house and a four-post structure. Continued domestic activity (Period D) was suggested by a single pit outside the enclosure, dated to the late first millennium bc/early first millennium ad. The limited evidence of the economy of the settlements suggests a mixed farming system.

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