Prehistoric Gold in Europe: Mines, Metallurgy and Manufacture

604 Pages·1995·20.492 MB·English

by  R. Gebhard (auth.), Giulio Morteani, Jeremy P. Northover (eds.)

Prehistoric Gold in Europe
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Series E: Applied Sciences -Vol. 280
Prehistoric Gold in Europe
Mines, Metallurgy and Manufacture
edited by
Giulio Morteani
Lehrstuhl fOr Angewandte Mineralogie und Geochemie,
Technische Universitat MOnchen,
Garching, Germany
and
Jeremy P. Northover
Department of Materials,
University of Oxford,
Oxford, UK
Kluwer Academic Publishers
Dordrecht / Boston / London
Published in cooperation With NATO SCientific Affairs Division
Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Research Workshop on
Prehistoric Gold in Europe
Seeon, Germany
September 27 -October 1, 1993
A C.I.P. Catalogue record for this book is available from the Library of Congress
ISBN 978-90-481-4500-3 ISBN 978-94-015-1292-3 (eBook)
DOl 10.1 007/978-94-015-1292-3
Published by Kluwer Academic Publishers,
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface ix
The participants of the NATO-ARW meeting xi
Chapter 1 - Chronology and Climatic Changes in Prehistory
Notes on a general chronological scheme for Europe
R. Gebhard ....................... ...................... .. .................................................................................... . 3
Outline of climatic and environmental changes in southern central Europe over
the past 20,000 years
f. Muller .. ........................ .. ............................................................................................. . 7
Chapter 2 -Gold and Society
Considerations on the real and the symbolic value of gold
O. Betz ....................................................................... . 19
Gold and society in prehistoric Europe
C. Eluere ... 29
The monetary aspect of gold from prehistoric to modern times
O. Burger ... ................... .. ........................................ . 33
From gift to commodity: The changing meaning of precious metals in the later
Prehistory of the Iberian Peninsula
M. Rufz-Gtilvez ................................... . 45
The rise and fall of gold metallurgy in the Copper Age of the Carpathian Basin:
The background of the change
f. Makkay ........................... . 65
Gold and silver during the 3rd Mill. cal. B.C.
M. Primas ................. .. .................. . 77
Chapter 3 - Sources of Precious Metals in Europe
Mineral economics, mineralogy, geochemistry and structure of gold deposits:
An overview
G. Morteani ..... ... ....... .. .......................... . 97
The gold deposits of Europe: An overview of the possible metal sources for
prehistoric gold objects
G. Lehrberger 115
vi
Accumulation of gold by electrochemical processes
P. Moller ........................................................................................................................................... . 145
Ore mining in prehistoric Europe: An overview
G. Weisgerber and E. Pernicka........................................................ ................ ........................... 159
Gold deposits and the archaeological distribution of gold artefacts:
A case-study of the La Tene period in the Swiss Midlands
F. Muller .............................................................................................................................. ............... 183
Gold in the Alps: A view from the south
P. Piana Agostinetti, G. Bergonzi, M. Cattin, M. Del Soldato, F.M. Gambari
and M. Tizzoni ....... ....... ............. ...................... ............................................................ .... ....... ...... ... .... 199
Celtic gold mines in west central Gaul
B. Cauuet .............................................................................................................................................. 219
Chapter 4 - Gold Metallurgy, Alloying and Chemical Analysis
The metallurgy of gold and silver in prehistoric times
Ch. J. Raub ....................................................................................... . 243
Industry in Celtic oppida -aspects of high temperature processes
R. Gebhard ...... ....... ................................... ...................................... .................. .......... .................... ..... 261
Coin moulds and other ceramic material: A key to Celtic precious metal working
R. Gebhard, G. Lehrberger, G. Moneani, Ch. Raub, F.E. Wagner and U. Wagner 273
Gold analysis: From fire assay to spectroscopy -a review
H. G. Bachmann ..................... ............. ......... ....................... .. .... ........... ........................................... . 303
On non-destructive analysis of gold objects
WB. Stern ......................................................................................................................................... . 317
Some experiences with the analysis of gold-objects
A. Voute ....................... ....... ......... ............. ............ ..... ....................... .............. .................. ....... ........ ...... 329
A look into the interior of Celtic gold coins
G. Lehrberger and Ch. J. Raub ..................................................................................................... 341
Electrochemical corrosion of natural gold alloys
P. Moller ............................................................................................................................................. . 357
The composition of gold from the ancient mining district of Verespatakl
Rosia Montana, Romania
A. Hauptmann, Th. Rehren and E. Pernicka ............................................................................ . 369
vii
Chapter 5 -Manufacture of Gold in Prehistory
Technical aspects of prehistoric gold objects on the basis of material analyses
V. Pingel..... ................ ...... .... ......................... ......... ........ ... ................... .......... ....... ..... 385
Rotary motion - lathe and drill. Some new technological aspects concerning
Late Bronze Age goldwork from southwestern Europe
B.R. Armbruster ............ .................... ....................... .................................................... 399
The appearance of black patinated copper-gold alloys in the Mediterranean area in
the Second Millenium B.C. -Material characterization and problem of origin
A.R. Giumlia-Mair ........................... .................. ...................................................... 425
Sintering, welding, brazing and soldering as bonding techniques in Etruscan
and Celtic goldsmithing
R. Echt and W -R. Thiele 435
Gold wire techniques of Europe and the Mediterranean around 300 B.C.
G. Nicolini 453
The gold from Arrabalde
A. Perea and S. Rovira .......... . 471
Celtic goldwork in the Iberian Peninsula
M. Almagro-Gorbea ....................................................................................................................... . 491
Gold in Early Bronze Age graves from Denmark and Schleswig-Holstein
U. Steffgen .... .. ............................................................................. . 503
Bronze Age gold in Britain
1. P. Northover 515
The ceremonial jewellery from the Regolini-Galassi tomb in Cerveteri.
Some ideas concerning the workshop
F. W von Hase .................... .. 533
La Tene gold and silver in Italy: A review of the archaeological evidence
G. Bergonzi ........... ......... .. .......................... . 561
Celtic gold in Bohemia
1. Waldhauser 577
New Aspects on Celtic coin hoards in southern Germany
B. Ziegaus........ ................................ .. .................. . 597
Index 609
PREFACE
This book presents the results of the NATO Advanced Research Workshop on Prehistoric
Gold in Europe held at Seeon in Southern Bavaria (Germany) from September 26 to October
1, 1993.
This workshop was designed to bring together archaeologists and other social scientists,
geoscientists like geologists, mineralogists and geochemists, chemists, metallurgists and
theologists to discuss our current knowledge of mines, metallurgy, goldsmithing and the role
of gold and gold artifacts in the society of prehistoric Europe.
Archaeology seeks to reveal the past history of humanity, to raise the dead, to make our
ancestors tell us about themselves and their social conditions and hope and fears for times
that are well beyond the written record. Archaeology can be a voyage of the imagination and
we should be aware that we can often interpret the remains of the past in more than one way.
Geosciences are faced with the problem of discovering how the earth works in producing
not only the mineral deposits like that of gold, but also providing humans with the necessities
of their daily life. It is evidence of the weight that we place on mineral resources that the
terms "Stone", "Bronze" and "Iron" were used to describe the major eras of prehistory.
Both geosciences and archaeology are used to "read" both sites and the meaning of every
individual object. Each sherd, each piece of rock is telling the geoscientist and the archaeolo
gist a story. Looking at both sciences remarkable similarities in their evolution can be seen.
The scientific situation in geological as well as in archaeological sciences changed dramati
cally in the late 1930s. From that time radiometric methods for dating archaeological and
geological material by the radioactive decay of isotopes were developed. Hahn and Walling
(1938) developed the rubidium/strontium method for the age determination of rocks and
Libby (1946) developed the radiocarbon method for the age determination of organic
remains. At that time also, experimental petrology started to add to the simple examination of
the rocks by macroscopical and microscopical methods data on the pressure and temperature
of their formation. From the same time also, analytical chemistry increased in precision and
reliability, and non destructive methods like X- ray fluorescence and neutron activation made
it possible to analyse archaeological objects without damage to valuable items and anxiety
for museum conservators.
The techniques developed after the 1930s reduced not only the scope for speculation about
the age and composition of the objects, but encouraged archaeologists to ask questions about
tool uses, social context, behaviour and social groups, and geologists to look in every detail
at how the earth works.
Gold and gold artifacts are excellent objects for unravelling the secrets of prehistory and its
societies from their ambivalent character as condensed wealth and that basis of power, but
also as transcendental symbols of eternal life and beauty, belonging more to the realm of the
gods in heaven than to humans on earth.
The world's two million years of human history are the archaeologist's laboratory (Hayden
1992). About 4000 million years of rocks and minerals are that of the geoscientist. Studying
the past in an interdisciplinary enterprise should not only increase our knowledge in specific
fields of science, but help us to develop a sense of perspective about our present condition.
Empires and cultures come and go like the species in the earth's history. What we see from
ix
x
prehistory to now is just a shadow of the grim reaping that occurred at the end of the Palaeo
zoic, 220 million years ago. At the end of the Permian period: "The face of death was to be
seen everywhere, both on land and in the sea. Only one of every ten species survived the end
of the Permian" (Ward 1992). Archaeology and geosciences are both fascinating sciences of
once and future things. We feel that their cooperation is just at the beginning and in the fu
ture will produce remarkable results.
Special thanks go to the Scientific and Evironmental Affairs Division of the NATO.
Without its financial support that meeting would never have taken place. Thanks also to
Dipl. -Geol. Christine Preinfalk and to Dr. Gerhard Lehrberger of the Chair of Applied Mine
ralogy of the Technical University of Miinchen for assisting in the organization of the mee
ting. The help of Christine Preinfalk was invaluable during the editing of this book. Without
her assistance this book would never have been printed. Thanks to Prof. Hermann Dannhei
mer (Miinchen) and Dr. Rupert Gebhard (Miinchen) for advice during the organization of the
archaeological part of the meeting. Some of the manuscripts were reviewed by Dr. Peter
Moller (Berlin) and Dr. Christiane Eluere (Paris). Thanks finally to all participants who, with
their enthusiasm and competence, made that meeting so exciting.
Peter Nonhover Giulio Moneani
References
Hahn, 0., Walling, E. (1938): Uber die Moglichkeit geologischer Altersbestimmungen rubi
diumhaltiger Minerale und Gesteine.-Z. Anorg. Chemie 236: 78-82.
Hayden, B. (1992): Archaeology: the science of once and future things.- (Freeman) New
York: 484 pp.
Libby, W.F. (1946): Atmospheric helium-three and radiocarbon from cosmic radiation.
Phys. Rev. 69: 671-672.
Ward, P.D. (1992): On Methuselah's trail. Living fossils and the great extinctions.
(Freeman) New York: 212 pp.
The Participants of the NATO-ARW Meeting in the Park of the Herrenchiemsee
Castle (Southern Bavaria), September 1994
Who Is Who? 9 B. Cauuet 18 U. Steffien 27 R. Gebhard
1 G. Morteani 10 M. Primas 19 Ch.J. Raub 28 A. VoQte
2 H.·G. Bachmann 11 A. Giumlla Malr 20 P. Northover 29 F. Wa~er
3 Mrs. VoClte 12 M. Rulz·Galvez 21 F.W. v. Hase 30 A. Hauptmann
4 C. Eluere 13 G. Nicolini 22 B. Zieraus 31 W. Stem
5 G. Welsrerber 14 S. Furanti 23 R. Echt 32 T. Rehren
6 B.R. Armbruster 15 A. Furanti 24 V. Plnrel 33 P. Moller
7 E. Pemlcka 16 G. Lehrberrer 25 J. Waldhauser 34 P. Plana Arostinetd
8 C. Prelnfalk 17 H. Dannhelmer 26 F. MOiler 35 J. Makkay
xi