Archaeometallurgical investigation of a Late Bronze Age hoard from Mahrersdorf in Lower Austria

Abstract Chemical and lead isotope analyses show that the 13 objects from the Mahrersdorf hoard (Ha B1; 11th century BCE) were primarily made from two distinct copper alloys that derived from fahlore. A third group, represented by one object, a median-winged axe, was made from recycled Osenring copper and deposited ca. 150–200 years after its manufacture. At the time, the region was surrounded by several competing copper mines located in southeastern Lower Austria, the Slovak Ore Mountains, and the Kőszeg-Guns-Mountains; other than some deposits in the Slovak Ore Mountains, the ores in these mines lack chemical and lead isotopic characterizations, which precludes their direct use in provenancing. The Mahrersdorf hoard contains several axes belonging to two typological groups: end-winged and socketed axes made in the central and southeastern European traditions, respectively. Analyses show that the two groups coincide with the chemistry of each fahlore copper alloy. Metallographic analyses identified that the bronze objects represent four different stages in the production process: ingots, cast objects without edge hardening, finished objects with edge hardening, and one recycled object. Three socketed axes with T-decoration were deserving of special attention, since they were cast in the same mould

Technological studies on Bronze Age metal body armour: from the Aegean to Western Europe

European Bronze Age metal armour, that is helmet, cuirass, shield and greaves is considered as one of the peaks of Bronze Age metal work. Within recent projects funded by the Austrian FWF and the European Union within FP7, most of the European Bronze Age body armour could be studied in detail, including chemical and metallographic analyses, analyses of manufacture and usage of the armour, combined with a conventional archaeological study (typology, distribution, development of the armour).Les armures métalliques, avec casque, cuirasse, bouclier et jambières, représentent un des sommets de la métallurgie à l’âge du Bronze. Dans le cadre de projets récents financés par le Fonds autrichien pour la science et par le septième programme-cadre (7e PC) de l’Union européenne, nous avons pu procéder à des recherches approfondies sur les armures de l’âge du Bronze européen, comprenant des analyses chimiques et métallographiques, ainsi qu’une étude de la fabrication et de l’utilisation des armures, en conjonction avec une enquête archéologique classique (typologie, répartition, évolution de l’armure)

Star decoration on Late Bronze Age helmets, cups and decorated discs in central and south-eastern Europe

Dokumentiranje in analiziranje bronastodobnih kosov orožja, odkritih na območju srednje in jugovzhodne Evrope, je pokazalo, da precejšnje število tistih poprej opredeljenih kot deli čelad dejansko pripada okrašenim diskom s primerljivim okrasom. Okras na teh predmetih je narejen z iztolčenimi bunčicami, ki tvorijo eno ali več linij dotikajočih se lokov, povezanih v krog oziroma zvezdasti motiv. Pod loki so včasih dodatne iztolčene bunčice, obdane z enim ali več krogi, t. i. puncirani krožci, celoten motiv pa je lahko obdan z enim ali več iztolčenimi krogi. Tak okras najdemo na različnih vrstah predmetov, razen na okrašenih diskih in čeladah tudi na bronastih in keramičnih posodah. Prispevek predstavlja te predmete ali samo njihove odlomke in prinaša razpravo o njihovem izvoru, razprostranjenosti in tipologiji.Analyses and documentation of Bronze Age armour pieces from eastern and central Europe revealed that a considerable number of fragments previously attributed to helmets were in fact parts of discs with comparable decoration. The latter consists of single or multiple embossed lines shaped into conjoining arcs arranged in a circle and forming a star. The arcs are sometimes filled with small embossed pellets surrounded by a single or multiple rings, termed ring-and-dot decoration. The whole might be surrounded by either a single or multiple embossed rings. The article presents all the bronze cups, helmets and discs, including fragments, as well as ceramic vessels that are decorated with this star motif; it also discusses and defines their origin, distribution and typolog

Multiple-scan voltammetry and OCP: Archaeometric tools for dating archaeological bronzes

[EN] The application of a multiple-scan strategy to nanosamples taken from 18 cross-sections of Bronze Age arms and armour, as well as two Roman coins using two solid-state electrochemical techniques, the voltammetry of immobilized microparticles (VIMP) and open circuit potential measurements (OCP) is described. The voltammetric responses in contact with aqueous acetate buffer can be attributed to the reduction of cuprite with variable degree of compaction and crystallinity revealing significant differences in the gradient of such properties with depth. Such differences are also revealed by "dry" OCP measurements connecting points in the cross section near and separated from the corrosion layer. The voltammetric study of the metallographic samples of the bronze objects shows correlation with the age of the objects, respectively the period of their deposition. We discuss also (potential) influence of different factors on the VIMP and OCP measurements, such as deposition context (soil, water), chemical composition of the copper alloys, and microstructural features (ascast, annealed, work-hardened), and how to overcome these issues.Project CTQ2017-85317-C2-1-P, supported with Ministerio de Economia, Industria y Competitividad (MINECO), Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (ERDF) and Agencia Estatal de Investigacion (AEI), is gratefully acknowledged.Doménech-Carbó, A.; Mödlinger, M.; Domenech Carbo, MT. (2021). Multiple-scan voltammetry and OCP: Archaeometric tools for dating archaeological bronzes. Journal of Electroanalytical Chemistry. 893:1-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jelechem.2021.115336S1989

The 12th century Magdeburg bronze doors in Novgorod: an overview of Russian research

This paper summarises for the first time in English over 200 years of Russian research on the 12th century bronze doors in the Western portal of St. Sophia cathedral in Novgorod (Russia) in order to create a more solid base for further international research on these doors. As researchers often copied the work of their predecessors, we will focus in particular on new results obtained by Russian research since the 19th century and how these influenced, or were influenced by, central European work on the bronze doors. We will also consider the confusion created by previous research referring to the doors – and the other medieval bronze doors in the same cathedral – as Korsunian, Sartunian or Sigtunian doors. Today there is no doubt that the production of the bronze doors in Magdeburg 1152–1154 is associated with the masters Riquin and Weissmuth. However, it remains unclear how the doors travelled from Płock, Poland, for which they were probably made, to Novgorod in the mid-15th century at the latest, when they underwent restoration work by the Russian master Avram

Committee on the Illicit Trade in Cultural Material

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Exploring Late Bronze Age systems of bronzework production in Switzerland through Network Science

YesMany hundreds of Bronze Age bronze artefacts are known from excavations in Switzerland, yet the interpretation of production networks from the object find locations remain problematic. It is proposed that the decorative elements used on items, such as ring-jewellery, can be used as elements to assist in the identification of artisanal traditions and ‘schools’, and also regional or community preference and selection of specific designs. Combining the analysis of over 1700 items of ring-jewellery from Switzerland with approaches from network science has facilitated the identification of regional clustering of design elements, comparable with cultural typologies in the area. It is also possible to identify potential instances of cultural differentiation through decoration within the broader regional cultural traditions. The study highlights important facets of bronzework production in the region of Switzerland, while also demonstrating future potential directions which could build upon the European wide dataset of prehistoric bronzework.Primary research conducted under previous funding at University of Basel, Switzerland – SNF gran

Chair for Round Table Discussion "Illicit Trafficking of cultural heritage : different strategies to fight it"

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Bronzezeitliche Bewaffnung und Kampfesweise in Mitteleuropa

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Bronzezeitliche Schutzwaffen

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