From Copper to Bronze: changes in the metallic production at Dikili Tash (Eastern Macedonia, Greece) in the transition from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age - Maison Archéologie & Ethnologie René-Ginouvès
Poster De Conférence Année : 2024

From Copper to Bronze: changes in the metallic production at Dikili Tash (Eastern Macedonia, Greece) in the transition from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age

Résumé

The Late Neolithic levels of Dikili Tash, a prehistoric site located in the plain of Drama, in Eastern Macedonia, offered a large amount of copper finds for this period (roughly the 5th millennium BC). Approximately fifty copper objects and fragments have been collected between the first excavations in 1961 and the current research program (2019-2023), directed by P. Darcque, H. Koukouli-Chryssanthaki, D. Malamidou and Z. Tsirtsoni. The copper production of the Late Neolithic shows a large diversity of shapes, mostly tools and ornaments: awls, drills, hooks, beads, pins and rings. These objects are mainly of small dimensions and produced in a non-standardised way. The last excavated area, located in the northern part of the tell (sector 9), also revealed a new type of tool (“curved tools”), securely dated from the Late Neolithic II, and probably associated with leather crafting or weaving. Manufacturing is probably local, as crucibles, mould and slags have been found. Although the composition of these objects is not determined, they seem to be made from an unalloyed copper. Deliberate copper alloys are still uncommon in the Neolithic. During the Bronze Age, metallic production changed all over Greece. Copper alloys, in particular copper-tin alloys, are more widely used in the composition of tools and weapons. Changes occurred also in the production contexts and the objects themselves, as metallurgical activities are moving away from the household context in favour of workshop production. At Dikili Tash, the copper and bronze production from the Bronze Age levels differs from the Late Neolithic assemblages. The amount of finds remains low, barely a dozen objects for the Early Bronze Age (late 4th – early 3rd mill. BC) and two pieces from the Late Bronze Age (late 2nd mill. BC). Some types of tools or ornaments, such as hooks or curved tools, are completely absent from the Bronze Age levels. On the contrary, new shapes appear, including bronze blades. This discontinuity observed in the copper-bronze production of Dikili Tash, in the context of the transition from Neolithic to Bronze Age, will be discussed through three aspects: shapes of tools and ornaments, manufacturing techniques and related functions to these objects.
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hal-04745682 , version 1 (21-10-2024)

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  • HAL Id : hal-04745682 , version 1

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Valentine Martin. From Copper to Bronze: changes in the metallic production at Dikili Tash (Eastern Macedonia, Greece) in the transition from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age. 22nd International Congress on Ancient Bronzes: Bronzes in Context, Oct 2024, Athènes, Greece. ⟨hal-04745682⟩
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