Suchergebnisse

Summary: The expansion of Tawantinsuyu in the Aconcagua valley (central Chile) was culturally mediated and avoided military coercion, resulting in different forms of acceptance, resistance and aculcisation. In this context, there are almost no studies discussing how this process manifested itself in the metallurgical technology of the Tardío Period (ca. 1400-1530 DC). We present the results of the technological study on a set of crucibles and moulds found in the Aconcagua valley and associated with metallic parts made from copper, using optical microscopy, petrography, SEM-EDS, XRD and FTIR. Our results indicate that the raw materials used were igneous rocks obtained from probably local deposits, mixed with small quantities of smectitas-montmorillonite-clays. In the case of moulds, they also contained ground bone as anti-plastic. All ceramics were covered with a pure bone paste to improve their refractarisation. Cooking temperatures were estimated at between 800 and 850 °C for moulds and above 900 °C for crucibles. The morphology and technology used suggest that a technological tradition originating in the Argentinian north-west was introduced into the Aconcagua valley and accepted by certain local communities during the expansion of Tawantinsuyu. ; Resumen: La expansión del Tawantinsuyu en el valle del Aconcagua (Chile central) fue culturalmente mediada y evitando la coerción militar, lo que derivó en distintas formas de aceptación, resistencia y aculturación. En este contexto, son casi inexistentes los estudios que discutan cómo este proceso se manifestó en la tecnología metalúrgica del Período Tardío (ca. 1400-1530 DC). Presentamos los resultados del estudio tecnológico sobre un conjunto de crisoles y moldes encontrados en el valle del Aconcagua y asociados a piezas metálicas hechas en base a cobre, utilizando microscopía óptica, petrografía, SEM-EDS, XRD y FTIR. Nuestros resultados indican que las materias primas utilizadas fueron rocas ígneas obtenidas de depósitos probablemente locales, mezcladas con ...

International audience ; "Metals held important symbolic and political values for the indigenous communities of the Caribbean islands. However, metal objects are not abundant in indigenous archaeological sites, and their study has hitherto been very limited. This paper presents the results of the first analytical programme focused on metal artifacts recovered in a range of Taíno sites in Cuba, chronologically covering the periods before and after contact with Europeans. Our aims were: (a) to identify metallurgical traditions related to a diversity of cultural or learning backgrounds; (b) to investigate the origins of different metal artifacts found in Cuba, as a proxy to reconstruct patterns of exchange and interaction among indigenous communities and between these and Europeans; and (c) to approach the meaning and symbolism of different metals by considering their contexts of appropriation and use. The techniques employed included optical microscopy, SEM–EDS, pXRF and PIXE. The results allow a diachronic picture of the procurement, transformation, use and symbolism of metals in Cuba with broader implications for Caribbean archaeology. We reveal culture-specific Taíno choices in their interaction with materials and value systems from continental America and Europe. We also discuss the selective appropriation, recontextualization and meaning of different metals in the indigenous cultures." (source éditeur)

International audience ; "Metals held important symbolic and political values for the indigenous communities of the Caribbean islands. However, metal objects are not abundant in indigenous archaeological sites, and their study has hitherto been very limited. This paper presents the results of the first analytical programme focused on metal artifacts recovered in a range of Taíno sites in Cuba, chronologically covering the periods before and after contact with Europeans. Our aims were: (a) to identify metallurgical traditions related to a diversity of cultural or learning backgrounds; (b) to investigate the origins of different metal artifacts found in Cuba, as a proxy to reconstruct patterns of exchange and interaction among indigenous communities and between these and Europeans; and (c) to approach the meaning and symbolism of different metals by considering their contexts of appropriation and use. The techniques employed included optical microscopy, SEM–EDS, pXRF and PIXE. The results allow a diachronic picture of the procurement, transformation, use and symbolism of metals in Cuba with broader implications for Caribbean archaeology. We reveal culture-specific Taíno choices in their interaction with materials and value systems from continental America and Europe. We also discuss the selective appropriation, recontextualization and meaning of different metals in the indigenous cultures." (source éditeur)

Debates on early metallurgy in Western Europe have frequently focused on the social value of copper (between utilitarian and symbolic) and its purported role in the emergence and consolidation of hierarchies. Recent research shows that generalisations are increasingly untenable and highlights the need for comparative regional studies. Given its location in an intermediate area, the early metallurgy of Northeast Iberia provides an interesting case in point to explore the interaction between the well-characterised traditions of southern Iberia and southern France during the 3rd and 2nd millennia BCE. Here the analytical study of seven Bell Beaker (decorated and undecorated) vessels reused as crucibles at Bauma del Serrrat del Pont (Tortellà, Girona) are presented. We employed pXRF, metallography, SEM-EDS and lead isotope analyses. The results show evidence for copper smelting employing a remarkable variety of ore sources, including Solana del Bepo, Turquesa and Les Ferreres mines, and an extra unknown area. The smelting vessels were manufactured using the same clay, which contained both mineral and organic inclusions. Our results are discussed with reference to all the evidence available for metals and metallurgy in the Northeast, and more broadly in comparison to southern Iberia and southern France, with special emphasis on issues of production organisation and social complexity. Taken together, our results support the notion that copper metallurgy played a predominantly utilitarian role in Bell Beaker societies and highlight idiosyncratic aspects of the metallurgical trajectory in the Northeast. Differences between territories challenge unilinear explanations of technological and social development after the introduction of metallurgy. Separate trajectories can only be explained in relation to area-specific socio-cultural and environmental factors. ; This paper has been supported by the project "Metal y Ámbar II: Circulación de bronce y ámbar en el Sureste peninsular durante la Edad del Bronce"(PID2019.108289GB.I00 / SRA – State Research Agency / 10.13039/501100011033) funded by the Spanish Government and with MMB as PI. The part of the analytical work of this paper that was carried out by JML (SEM-EDS and metallography) was supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council-DTP program and the Cambridge Trust (Vice-chancellor's Award), that jointly fund her doctoral research ; Peer reviewed