Metallurgy in America: What do We Know about its Development and Diffusion?

Summary

Academic interest in "New World" metallurgy is more than a century old and has come a long way. New analytical technologies have allowed us to understand in ever greater detail the composition and structure of metal objects found in archaeological contexts. This makes it possible to identify raw materials, study production processes and life histories of artifacts. While our progress in questions of detail is indisputable, the opinions concerning the general development and diffusion of metallurgy in America have not been revised or questioned until now. This presentation will try to assess if it is necessary to change the current discourse and formulate new questions.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)   •
• Archaeometallurgy of the New World: Current Research, Approaches, and Methods

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 15714