Chemical Composition of Metal in Copper and Bronze Arrowheads from the Kichigino I Burial Ground
Abstract. This study concerns 580 bronze arrowheads from five burials of the Kichigino I cemetery (southern Trans-Urals), dated from the second half of the sixth to the second half of the fourth centuries BC. The main component in all arrowheads was copper with admixtures of arsenic, antimony, lead,...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Volgograd State University
2022-06-01
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| Series: | Нижневолжский археологический вестник |
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| Online Access: | https://nav.jvolsu.com/index.php/en/archive-en/650-2022-vol-21-no-1/articles/1724-blinov-i-a-tairov-a-d-chemical-composition-of-metal-in-copper-and-bronze-arrowheads-from-the-kichigino-i-burial-ground |
| _version_ | 1818248277853732864 |
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| author | Ivan A. Blinov Alexandr D. Tairov |
| author_facet | Ivan A. Blinov Alexandr D. Tairov |
| author_sort | Ivan A. Blinov |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract. This study concerns 580 bronze arrowheads from five burials of the Kichigino I cemetery (southern Trans-Urals), dated from the second half of the sixth to the second half of the fourth centuries BC. The main component in all arrowheads was copper with admixtures of arsenic, antimony, lead, tin and nickel. The research revealed that the Early nomads’ non-ferrous metal sources changed approximately in the middle of the fourth century BC. Initially, almost all metal came from Itkul metallurgy and metalworking center located in the southern Trans-Urals forest-steppe area. Pure copper without addition as well as alloys with additive of arsenic, occasionally with arsenic and antimony were overwhelmingly applied. In the next period, there are plenty of arrowheads made of copper alloys containing lead as a component; its sources are located to the southwest and west of the Trans-Urals. The transition to new metal sources was caused on the one hand by massive migrations of the Trans-Ural steppe nomadic population to the southern Cis-Urals, on the other, by gradual decline of the Itkul center of metallurgy during the fourth century BC and by the complete reserve depletion in the third century BC. Reuse of tin-alloyed bronze items from earlier times was caused by lack of the non-ferrous metal supplied by the Itkul metallurgists. Furthermore, results of metals analysis indicate that there is no relationship between the shape of the arrowheads and the composition of the metal in them. Arrowheads of the same shape could be made of different metal composition, and, by contrast, arrowheads of different shapes were made from the same metal. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T15:18:03Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8f51a0cb8b5244c1aee0cb56aed2a14b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2587-8123 2658-5995 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T15:18:03Z |
| publishDate | 2022-06-01 |
| publisher | Volgograd State University |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Нижневолжский археологический вестник |
| spelling | doaj.art-8f51a0cb8b5244c1aee0cb56aed2a14b2022-12-22T00:20:27ZengVolgograd State UniversityНижневолжский археологический вестник2587-81232658-59952022-06-012119111810.15688/nav.jvolsu.2022.1.5Chemical Composition of Metal in Copper and Bronze Arrowheads from the Kichigino I Burial GroundIvan A. Blinov0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7397-4760Alexandr D. Tairov1https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8575-0430South Urals Research Center of Mineralogy and Geoecology of the Urals Branch of the Russian Academy of SciencesSouth Ural State University (National Research University)Abstract. This study concerns 580 bronze arrowheads from five burials of the Kichigino I cemetery (southern Trans-Urals), dated from the second half of the sixth to the second half of the fourth centuries BC. The main component in all arrowheads was copper with admixtures of arsenic, antimony, lead, tin and nickel. The research revealed that the Early nomads’ non-ferrous metal sources changed approximately in the middle of the fourth century BC. Initially, almost all metal came from Itkul metallurgy and metalworking center located in the southern Trans-Urals forest-steppe area. Pure copper without addition as well as alloys with additive of arsenic, occasionally with arsenic and antimony were overwhelmingly applied. In the next period, there are plenty of arrowheads made of copper alloys containing lead as a component; its sources are located to the southwest and west of the Trans-Urals. The transition to new metal sources was caused on the one hand by massive migrations of the Trans-Ural steppe nomadic population to the southern Cis-Urals, on the other, by gradual decline of the Itkul center of metallurgy during the fourth century BC and by the complete reserve depletion in the third century BC. Reuse of tin-alloyed bronze items from earlier times was caused by lack of the non-ferrous metal supplied by the Itkul metallurgists. Furthermore, results of metals analysis indicate that there is no relationship between the shape of the arrowheads and the composition of the metal in them. Arrowheads of the same shape could be made of different metal composition, and, by contrast, arrowheads of different shapes were made from the same metal.https://nav.jvolsu.com/index.php/en/archive-en/650-2022-vol-21-no-1/articles/1724-blinov-i-a-tairov-a-d-chemical-composition-of-metal-in-copper-and-bronze-arrowheads-from-the-kichigino-i-burial-groundsouthern trans-uralsearly iron agex-ray fluorescensarrowheadssours of non-ferrous metal |
| spellingShingle | Ivan A. Blinov Alexandr D. Tairov Chemical Composition of Metal in Copper and Bronze Arrowheads from the Kichigino I Burial Ground Нижневолжский археологический вестник southern trans-urals early iron age x-ray fluorescens arrowheads sours of non-ferrous metal |
| title | Chemical Composition of Metal in Copper and Bronze Arrowheads from the Kichigino I Burial Ground |
| title_full | Chemical Composition of Metal in Copper and Bronze Arrowheads from the Kichigino I Burial Ground |
| title_fullStr | Chemical Composition of Metal in Copper and Bronze Arrowheads from the Kichigino I Burial Ground |
| title_full_unstemmed | Chemical Composition of Metal in Copper and Bronze Arrowheads from the Kichigino I Burial Ground |
| title_short | Chemical Composition of Metal in Copper and Bronze Arrowheads from the Kichigino I Burial Ground |
| title_sort | chemical composition of metal in copper and bronze arrowheads from the kichigino i burial ground |
| topic | southern trans-urals early iron age x-ray fluorescens arrowheads sours of non-ferrous metal |
| url | https://nav.jvolsu.com/index.php/en/archive-en/650-2022-vol-21-no-1/articles/1724-blinov-i-a-tairov-a-d-chemical-composition-of-metal-in-copper-and-bronze-arrowheads-from-the-kichigino-i-burial-ground |
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