Metallhandwerker im frühen 3. Jt. v. Chr. – Neue Ergebnisse vom Çukuriçi Höyük

Abstract

New excavations on Çukuriçi Höyük have yielded plentiful evidence of metal workshops which date from the early Bronze Age. A large number of fixed furnaces allow the localization of these workshops in the original centre of the tell. A complex of rooms from the most recent settlement phase is presented and discussed with regard to dating and the associated metallurgical ensemble. The diverse spectrum points to the use of different casting techniques during production. Furthermore, casting moulds among the find material are proof of the production of metal ingots for further exchange. Initial results from analysis by scanning electron microscope and from X-ray fluorescence analysis show that the metal artisans of Çukuriçi Höyük evidently possessed special metallurgical knowledge, as is demonstrated by an object made of a copper-silver alloy. Finds with a similar composition and dating are to be found from the Balkans to Mesopotamia and suggest that Çukuriçi Höyük was integrated in a far-reaching communication network.