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<p>As any study of copper alloys from the Bronze Age on reveals, tin was of some importance, both technically and economically. It was believed that there were just few sources of the metal in production in the Old World in antiquity supplying not only local needs but also the civilisations of the Mediterranean, Middle East, Iran and India. These include sources in the south west of Britain, Central Europe, the north west of Iberia, and Central and South East Asia. If this was indeed the case then there must have been long and complex trade routes and exchange mechanisms, speculation about which has fascinated antiquarians and archaeologists for centuries. This situation arises largely because these known sources have been extensively worked in more recent times and thus are familiar and universally accepted. However, there are also many other geological occurrences of tin which may or may not have been worked in the past. These are of interest because they are often very much closer to early cultures than the major accepted sources. The archaeological evidence for early tin workings is poor as most, but not all, were dug in placer deposits of sand and gravel, leaving little permanent evidence beyond largely anonymous, often enigmatic trenches. The ores can be beneficiated to a very high grade and the smelting processes could operate at relatively low temperatures and thus leave little permanent debris. There are also problems of perception and accepted knowledge. Some sources which may well have been used in the past have been ignored whilst conversely other often very minor geological occurrences are quoted as major sources, because it is believed that tin must have been produced in that locality in the past. This paper will examine some of these putative sources in detail, emphasising the difficulties that arise in trying to establish if or when they are likely to have been in production in the past. In addition the reasons for their present status as likely producers in the past or not are also discussed, the selection being as the title of the paper states ‘from India to Ireland’.</p>

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From India to Ireland: A diversity of possible tin sources considered

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年8月22日

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  • Paul Craddock

摘要

As any study of copper alloys from the Bronze Age on reveals, tin was of some importance, both technically and economically. It was believed that there were just few sources of the metal in production in the Old World in antiquity supplying not only local needs but also the civilisations of the Mediterranean, Middle East, Iran and India. These include sources in the south west of Britain, Central Europe, the north west of Iberia, and Central and South East Asia. If this was indeed the case then there must have been long and complex trade routes and exchange mechanisms, speculation about which has fascinated antiquarians and archaeologists for centuries. This situation arises largely because these known sources have been extensively worked in more recent times and thus are familiar and universally accepted. However, there are also many other geological occurrences of tin which may or may not have been worked in the past. These are of interest because they are often very much closer to early cultures than the major accepted sources. The archaeological evidence for early tin workings is poor as most, but not all, were dug in placer deposits of sand and gravel, leaving little permanent evidence beyond largely anonymous, often enigmatic trenches. The ores can be beneficiated to a very high grade and the smelting processes could operate at relatively low temperatures and thus leave little permanent debris. There are also problems of perception and accepted knowledge. Some sources which may well have been used in the past have been ignored whilst conversely other often very minor geological occurrences are quoted as major sources, because it is believed that tin must have been produced in that locality in the past. This paper will examine some of these putative sources in detail, emphasising the difficulties that arise in trying to establish if or when they are likely to have been in production in the past. In addition the reasons for their present status as likely producers in the past or not are also discussed, the selection being as the title of the paper states ‘from India to Ireland’.