Hello,
we hope it is not too late to submit a short news for HMS, here it is
(unless you prefer the PC. WORD version) :
A newly discovered chalcolithic copper smelting site in South of France :
La Capitelle du Broum, Cabrieres (Herault)
P. Ambert (1), D. Bourgarit (2), B. Mille (2), J. Coularou (1), C. Cert (1),
J.-L. Guendon (3),
(1) Centre d'Anthropologie UMR 8555 CNRS, Toulouse, France
(2) Centre de Recherche et de Restauration des Musees de France, Paris,
France, [log in to unmask] / [log in to unmask]
(3) Maison mediterraneenne des Sciences de l'Homme, Aix en Provence, France
The Cabrieres copper-mining district in South of France encloses the oldest
copper mines and copper-smelting related sites of France, dated from the
beginning of the 3rd millennium B.C. (Ambert, 1995). Moreover, whereas most
of the Chalcolithic mining areas known in the world dealt with oxidic copper
ore, Cabrieres was without any doubt involved with copper sulfide smelting.
The study of some metallurgical remains (slags, metallic copper artefacts)
compared to products of field smelting experiment has led us to a first
technical characterisation of this original chalcolithic metallurgy
(Bourgarit et Mille, 1999). Nevertheless up to now no direct evidence of a
smelting activity had been dug out, since all the metallurgical remains were
found in secondary deposits (in the Roque-Fenestre and Pioch-Farrus 448
pits). In particular no smelting structure had yet been found. Fortunately
recent excavations in spring 2001 have revealed a complete chalcolithic
copper-smelting workshop in the Cabrieres district at La Capitelle du Broum
: three small areas submitted to high temperatures have been localised,
numerous copper slags and metallic copper pieces and prills related to a
sulfide ore smelting activity have been found in the vicinity of these
areas, as well as a lot of metallurgical tools (crushing stones and hammers,
bone pellets). The excavations and laboratory studies are still in progress,
but La Capitelle du Broum, which shows the oldest dates of the Cabrieres
district (Radiocarbon date 4390 ± 40 BP ; calibrated calendar date 3100-2900
B.C), already represents a major site for the understanding of the
chalcolithic copper extractive metallurgy in south-western Europe.
Bibliography
Ambert, P., 1995 - Les mines prehistoriques de Cabrieres (Herault) : quinze
ans de recherches. Etat de la question, Bulletin de la Societe Prehistorique
Francaise, 92, 4, 499-508
Bourgarit, D. et Mille, B., 1999 - La metallurgie chalcolithique de
Cabrieres: confrontation des donnees experimentales et archeologiques en
laboratoire, Archeologie en Languedoc, 21, 51-63
regards
David Bourgarit et Benoit Mille
david.bourgarit ou [log in to unmask]
Groupe Métallurgie
Laboratoire de Recherche des Musées de France
6 rue des Pyramides Parix Cedex 01
France
tél : 33 1 40 20 56 39 ou 84 31
fax : 33 1 47 03 32 46
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