Copper quality and provenance in Middle Bronze Age I Byblos and Tell Arqa (Lebanon)

• Published in: Journal of archaeological science Vol. 40; no. 12; pp. 4291 - 4305
• Main Authors: EL Morr, Ziad, Cattin, Florence, Bourgarit, David, Lefrais, Yannick, Degryse, Patrick
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01-12-2013; Elsevier
• Subjects: Asia; Byblos; Copper base alloy; Copper qualities; Levant; Metal Ages; Metal industry; Metallurgy; Methodology and general studies; Middle Bronze Age I; Near East; Prehistory and protohistory; Provenance; Tell Arqa; Typology, technology and attribute analysis; Middle Bronze Age; Byblos; Lebanon; Byblos; Near East; Asia; Byblos; Provenance; Copper base alloy; Middle Bronze Age I; Tell Arqa; Metallurgy; Levant; Copper qualities; Weapon; Source; PIXE analysis; Copper; Isotope Analysis
• ISSN: 0305-4403; 1095-9238
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jas.2013.05.025

Forty-four Middle Bronze Age I weapons discovered at the sites of Byblos and Tell Arqa in Lebanon were investigated in order to study their copper quality and provenance. The evaluation of copper qualities is based on quantifying permanent inclusions such as copper sulfide and lead globules. The provenance of copper was studied using lead isotope analyses. For further discrimination between copper groups and sources elemental analyses by PIXE were performed on some of the weapons investigated. The results revealed two copper groups that could be qualified as “dirty” copper and “clean” copper. The former was used in most of the weapon types whereas the latter was reserved for items made of high-tin bronzes (>11 wt%) which underwent heavy hammering during the manufacturing process. Even though several potential copper sources were identified, the data point to Iran and Oman as the most probable areas of origin for the metal used in these weapons. These results contribute to the study of inter-regional exchange networks in the ancient Near East.
•PIXE and Lead isotope analyses were performed on Levant MB I copper alloy weapons.•Copper quality was evaluated according to the amount of permanent inclusions.•Copper from several sources, such as Iran and Oman, was used in Byblos.•The analyses have shown that two copper qualities existed at Byblos in Lebanon.•A clear relationship exists between copper quality and weapon manufacturing process.