Identifying the stone toolkit of Copper Age and Bronze Age metallurgists: A new contribution from use-wear and XRF analysis carried out on experimental tests
Résumé
Use-wear analysis of stone tools involved in metallurgical processes is a recent field of research within functional
analysis. In order to consolidate the methodological framework of such research, experiments were carried out
on the production of copper and bronze objects. Several production steps were tested, on the basis of archaeological
questions relating to sites dated from the 3rd and the 2nd millennium BC in north-west Europe. The
crushing of copper ore was tested in order to compare use-wear traces created by three different actions: breaking
block, fragmenting into small pieces and grinding into powder. In addition, various parts of a test group of copper
and tin bronze axeheads and daggers were shaped by hammering: this hammering involved deburring and
regularization of the sides of the axeheads and daggers, as well as thinning out the cutting edges immediately
after casting or at a later stage. Finally, the sides and edges of the copper and bronze axeheads were abraded and
polished. The combination of use-wear and XRF analysis of the tools involved in this series of experiments
consolidates the methodological background of the functional analysis of stone tools. They allow better differentiation
of wear traces resulting from the processing of ores within the broader spectrum of hard mineral
materials. They also raise questions about the preservation of metal residues on the surface of stone tools
depending on the different activities carried out. Finally, the distinction between copper and bronze objects is
also discussed. Examples of the analysis of various metallurgists’ stone tools from the Early Bronze in north-west
Europe support the demonstration.