Calgaro, Ilaria;
(2025)
Technology, organisation, and networks of metal production and circulation in the Eurasian Steppe Bronze Age: Case studies from 2nd millennium BC Central and East Kazakhstan.
Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).
![[thumbnail of Calgaro_10205529_Thesis.pdf]](https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/style/images/fileicons/text.png) |
Text
Calgaro_10205529_Thesis.pdf Access restricted to UCL open access staff until 1 March 2026. Download (31MB) |
|
Text
Calgaro_10205529_Thesis_appendix.pdf Access restricted to UCL open access staff until 1 March 2026. Download (29MB) |
Abstract
The 2nd millennium BC Eurasian Steppe witnessed a surge in metal circulation, still paired by few or inaccurate data on recipes and protocols for metal production. Thus far, the understanding of metalmaking technology across different steppe regions has been addressed primarily through typological analysis of metal artefacts, which has led to diffusionist interpretations of the evolutive trajectories of metalmaking technology in this area, primarily relying on material culture similarities. The analysis of site-scale metalmaking protocols emerges as a powerful tool to understand innovation and transmission of technological traits that were either passed down, shared or discarded among Bronze Age communities, holding potential to inform on interconnectivity patterns between different regions of the steppes. This thesis aims to advance the current state of research by investigating innovation in metal production at three sites active during the 2nd millennium BC and located in distinct regions of the steppes, spanning the Middle to Final Bronze Age: Taldysai and Myrzhik (Central Kazakhstan), and Koken (North-Eastern Kazakhstan). The analysed collection of materials includes geological minerals, ores, smelting debris, technical ceramics and finished metal artefacts. Analyses of site-scale technology are interpreted against compositional legacy data on metal debris and artefacts from coeval steppe contexts. Chemical and microstructural analysis of metallurgical debris and metal artefacts from the sites of Taldysai, Myrzhik and Koken identifies distinct metalmaking practices: it reveals the utilisation of similar ores that were smelted according to different protocols or with varying degree of specialisation to produce copper metal, and different types of ores and recipes for smelting arsenical copper. Integrated with legacy datasets of chemical composition of metal debris and metal artefacts, results provide a novel understanding of the organisation of metal production and circulation across the Eurasian Steppe Bronze Age, which speaks of interconnected communities of metal producers and consumers.
| Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Qualification: | Ph.D |
| Title: | Technology, organisation, and networks of metal production and circulation in the Eurasian Steppe Bronze Age: Case studies from 2nd millennium BC Central and East Kazakhstan |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © The Author 2025. Original content in this thesis is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). Any third-party copyright material present remains the property of its respective owner(s) and is licensed under its existing terms. Access may initially be restricted at the author’s request. |
| 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 UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of S&HS > Institute of Archaeology > Institute of Archaeology Gordon Square |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10205529 |
Archive Staff Only
 |
View Item |
