Thomas, P;
Radivojević, M;
Derikonjic, S;
Schapals, F;
Pendic, J;
Roberts, BW;
Jablanovic, A;
... Stöllner, T; + view all
(2025)
Challenging the boom-and-bust models? The fourth millennium BC copper mine of Curak in south-west Serbia.
Antiquity
10.15184/aqy.2025.66.
(In press).
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Abstract
Despite an early surge in copper-ore mining during the sixth and fifth millennia BC (the ‘boom’), evidence for metal production in the Balkans dwindles in the fourth millennium (the ‘bust’). Here, the authors present new evidence for copper mining at Curak in south-west Serbia, c. 3800 cal BC, during this apparent downturn. By integrating field surveys, excavations and provenance analyses, they explore activity at the site, challenging the visibility bias in the archaeological record of this region for this key period. Rather than a societal collapse, the authors argue, fewer artefacts may instead reflect a widening Balkan sphere of influence.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Challenging the boom-and-bust models? The fourth millennium BC copper mine of Curak in south-west Serbia |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.15184/aqy.2025.66 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2025.66 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited |
| Keywords: | Eastern Europe, Jarmovac Valley, Chalcolithic, Bronze Age, radiocarbon dating, archaeometallurgy, mining archaeology |
| 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/10197684 |
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