Manufacture of copper weapons and tools from the chalcolithic settlement of São Pedro (Portugal)

The Composition of the São Brás Copper Hoard in Relation to the Bell Beaker Metallurgy in the South‐western Iberian Peninsula

“…However, this is contradicted by actual tools and weapons from Chalcolithic sites such as São Pedro (Redondo) (Valério et al . ), La Junta (Huelva) and Cabezo Juré (Bayona ) and Vila Nova de São Pedro (Azambuja) (Pereira et al . ).…”

Microanalytical study of copper ores from the Chalcolithic settlement of São Pedro (Portugal): Copper production in the south‐western Iberian Peninsula

“…; Valério et al . ). Other authors suggest that the differences in As content between different types of artefacts might be explained by the higher probability of recycling of metals collected in settlements when compared with objects chosen to be deposited in graves (Rovira and Delibes de Castro ; Rovira and Montero‐Ruiz ).…”

“…The association of arsenical Cu alloys with certain articles, such as daggers and arrowheads, is another distinctive trait of this early metallurgy. The selection of As-rich raw materials could be made for aesthetic reasons rather than functional purposes due to the apparent inability of those metallurgists to exploit the hardening capability of As fully (e.g., Pereira et al 2013;Valério et al 2017). Other authors suggest that the differences in As content between different types of artefacts might be explained by the higher probability of recycling of metals collected in settlements when compared with objects chosen to be deposited in graves (Rovira and Delibes de Castro 2005; Rovira and Montero-Ruiz 2018).…”

“…Early artefacts were composed of Cu with varying contents of arsenic, an alloying element that induces significant changes to the metal, such as a better castability, higher strain hardening and a silvery colour. However, it is still unclear whether the arsenical Cu alloy (Cu with more than 2 wt% arsenic ) was intentionally produced and, if so, whether it would be used as a prestige symbol owing to its unique colour or be chosen for more practical reasons such as the higher hardness of hammered artefacts (Müller et al 2007;Müller and Cardoso 2008;Müller and Soares 2008;Pereira et al 2013;Valério et al 2017).…”

“…Moreover, the lead isotopic signature of metallic prills of local smelting operations is consistent with Cu sources in the Ossa Morena Zone (Gauss 2015). The metallurgical materials belong to different occupation phases (phases II-V), which radiocarbon dating of bone samples assigned to the second (Phase II) and third quarter (Phase IV) of the third millennium BCE (Valério et al 2017). Between these phases, there was a short period (Phase III) involving the destruction of Phase II structures and the construction of Phase IV structures.…”