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The early development of metallurgy in the British Isles

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

P. Budd ,
D. Gale ,
A. M. Pollard ,
R. G. Thomas  and
P. A. Williams
P. Budd
Affiliation:
Ancient Metallurgy Research Group, Department of Archaeological Sciences, University of Bradford, Bradford BD7 1DP, UK
D. Gale
Affiliation:
Ancient Metallurgy Research Group, Department of Archaeological Sciences, University of Bradford, Bradford BD7 1DP, UK
A. M. Pollard
Affiliation:
Ancient Metallurgy Research Group, Department of Archaeological Sciences, University of Bradford, Bradford BD7 1DP, UK
R. G. Thomas
Affiliation:
School of Chemistry & Applied Chemistry, University of Wales College of Cardiff, PO Box 912, Cardiff CF1 3TB, UK
P. A. Williams
Affiliation:
Department of Chemistry, University of Western Sydney, Nepean, PO Box 10, Kingswood NSW 2747, Australia
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Extract

Studies of prehistoric extractive and fabrication techniques suggest that the traditional view, that the earliest copper metallurgy in the British Isles was based on the exploitation of primary minerals deriving from the southwest of Ireland, is fallacious. Elaborate mineral selection and process control is not needed to produce copper of the composition reported for the Early Bronze Age, and so ore deposits in Britain were probably being exploited from a very early period.

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Antiquity , Volume 66 , Issue 252 , September 1992 , pp. 677 - 686
Copyright
Copyright © Antiquity Publications Ltd 1992

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