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Early Bronze Age metallurgy: a newly discovered copper manufactory in southern Jordan

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

Thomas E. Levy ,
Russell B. Adams ,
Andreas Hauptmann ,
Michael Prange ,
Sigrid Schmitt-Strecker  and
Mohammad Najjar
Thomas E. Levy
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of California, San Diego, CA 92093-0532, USA
Russell B. Adams
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of California, San Diego, CA 92093-0532, USA
Andreas Hauptmann
Affiliation:
Deutsches Bergbau-Museum, D-44791Bochum, Germany
Michael Prange
Affiliation:
Deutsches Bergbau-Museum, D-44791Bochum, Germany
Sigrid Schmitt-Strecker
Affiliation:
Max-Planck-Institut für Chemie (Otto-Hahn-Institut), D-55020 Mainz, Germany
Mohammad Najjar
Affiliation:
Department of Antiquities, Amman, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
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Extract

Recent excavations in southern Jordan have revealed the largest Early Bronze Age (c. 3600-2000 BC) metal manufactory in the ancient Near East. On-site Geographic Information Systems (GIS) analyses of the finds provide new evidence concerning the scale and organization of metal production at a time when the first cities emerged in this part of the Near East. Materials and lead isotope analyses of the metallurgical finds provide important data for reconstructing ancient metal processing and for identifying trade networks.

Keywords

archaeometallurgyEarly Bronze AgeJordanKhirbat Hamra IfdanGIS
Type
Papers
Information
Antiquity , Volume 76 , Issue 292 , June 2002 , pp. 425 - 437
Copyright
Copyright © Antiquity Publications Ltd. 2002

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