A study of ancient copper

Archaeometallurgical Characterization of Hellenistic Metal Objects: The Contribution of the Bronze Objects From Rishon Le‐zion (Israel)*

“…The inclusions identified by EDS contained 74.5 wt% Cu, 1.8 wt% Sn, 18.9 wt% S and 4.8 wt% Fe. Sulphur and iron inclusions have also been observed in other archaeological studies of bronze artefacts (Chernykh et al . 1998; Pinasco et al .…”

“…The inclusions identified by EDS contained 74.5 wt% Cu, 1.8 wt% Sn, 18.9 wt% S and 4.8 wt% Fe. Sulphur and iron inclusions have also been observed in other archaeological studies of bronze artefacts (Chernykh et al 1998;Pinasco et al 2000;Ingo et al 2006;Vale'rio et al 2010), and may indicate the manufacturing process of the copper alloy as well as its provenance. The low values of the microhardness test results for S2 (107.9 1 8.0 HV and 96.5 1 9.0 HV for the flattened and thickened edges, respectively) are indicators of an annealing process.…”

“…2000). It is commonly assumed that copper containing sulphur was produced by the smelting of chalcopyrite ore (Chernykh et al . 1998; Vale'rio et al .…”

“…Non-metallic inclusions are usually smaller than 10 mm and normally they are composed of copper with sulphur and some other trace elements (Pinasco et al 2000). It is commonly assumed that copper containing sulphur was produced by the smelting of chalcopyrite ore (Chernykh et al 1998;Vale'rio et al 2010). The archaeological issue of relating a metallic artefact to a specific ore and origin is very complicated, since the smelting process uses fluxes and fuel (Tylecote et al 1977).…”

Technological continuity in Early Iron Age bronze metallurgy at the South-Western Iberian Peninsula – a sight from Castro dos Ratinhos

“…chalcopyrite, bornite and covellite) often associated with more recent metallurgical processes. These inclusions could also arise from impurities present in oxidic copper ores (Chernykh et al, 1998).…”