Prehistoric copper technology in Italy: towards a new model
Lead Research Organisation:
Newcastle University
Department Name: Sch of History, Classics and Archaeology
Abstract
The project will foster a new understanding of the development of prehistoric copper and bronze
technology away from discredited evolutionary thinking. It will examine selected smelting and
metalworking residues from several north-central Italian prehistoric sites, 4500-1200 BC, using a
multidisciplinary approach combining materials science, experimental archaeology, and a
reappraisal of the social theory of technological change. This innovative research approach will
reveal the varying material and social conditions in which early smiths operated; the technological
choices they favoured, and how these changed geographically and over time; and the complex
dynamics of technology transfer in a prehistoric context.
technology away from discredited evolutionary thinking. It will examine selected smelting and
metalworking residues from several north-central Italian prehistoric sites, 4500-1200 BC, using a
multidisciplinary approach combining materials science, experimental archaeology, and a
reappraisal of the social theory of technological change. This innovative research approach will
reveal the varying material and social conditions in which early smiths operated; the technological
choices they favoured, and how these changed geographically and over time; and the complex
dynamics of technology transfer in a prehistoric context.
