Investigating Copper Ingot Production in the Bronze Age Mediterranean Using 3D Technologies

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2019: General Sessions" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The 1960 excavation of the Late Bronze Age (ca. 1200 BC) shipwreck at Cape Gelidonya, on the southwestern coast of Turkey, revealed a ca. 1.2 ton cargo of copper ingots and tools. The metal cargo is defined by its great diversity, yet the ingot assemblage is predominantly Cypriot in origin while the tool metal derives from sources across the Mediterranean region. A sample of 200 copper ingots and ingot fragments from the ship’s cargo were selected for 3D digital reconstruction using photogrammetry and structured light scanning. The presence of two ingot types, oxhide and bun-shaped ingots, reflects a degree of standardization but significant variation within these types challenge traditional models of their production. 3D scans of the ingots helped to reveal fine surface details related to their production and transport. Measurements, including volumes and profiles, are used to determine quantitatively the variation among the ingot types. The size and shape of the ingots may suggest various traditions of production, reflecting diachronic and/or synchronic differences of origin in a single assemblage not unlike metal hoards known to terrestrial sites. This is an important first step in identifying the organization of the production and exchange of these goods in the eastern Mediterranean.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 25616