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Evidence for early copper smelting in Belovode, a Vinča culture settlement in Eastern Serbia

Radivojević, Miljana; (2007) Evidence for early copper smelting in Belovode, a Vinča culture settlement in Eastern Serbia. Masters thesis (M.Sc), UCL (University College London). Green open access

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Abstract

In this thesis the author will discuss evidence for the earliest copper smelting in Europe, documented during excavations of Belovode, a Vinĉa culture site in Eastern Serbia. The remains of slags, malachite beads, ceramics with bone-ash lagging and ores associated with ancient mines found in the vicinity of the site, surface finding of a copper ingot, offer insight into the organization and technology of the exploitation of copper ores for jewellery and metal production, respectively, at the end of the 6th millennium BC; representing one of the earliest known cases for metal smelting in the Neolithic world. The microscopic and compositional analyses have revealed smelting activities carried out in Belovode throughout the occupational period. Furthermore, lead isotope and trace element analyses confirmed exploitation of several copper deposits in the vicinity, one of which is Rudna Glava, already confirmed as the Vinĉa culture mine. Overall, this study demonstrated the consistent copper production over 500 years of occupational period of Belovode, which involved specialized crafts at a time copper represented a crucial commodity. It has provided an insight into what was surely an advanced technology at the end of 6th millennium, clearly pointing at the necessity of revising modern understanding of the development of metallurgy in the Old World.

Type: Thesis (Masters)
Qualification: M.Sc
Title: Evidence for early copper smelting in Belovode, a Vinča culture settlement in Eastern Serbia
Event: UCL
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
Language: English
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of S&HS
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of S&HS > Institute of Archaeology
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10137844
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