Archaeometallurgical investigation of a Late Bronze Age hoard from Mahrersdorf in Lower Austria

Abstract

Chemical and lead isotope analyses show that the 13 objects from the Mahrersdorf hoard (Ha B1; 11th century BCE) were primarily made from two distinct copper alloys that derived from fahlore. A third group, represented by one object, a median-winged axe, was made from recycled Ösenring copper and deposited ca. 150–200 years after its manufacture. At the time, the region was surrounded by several competing copper mines located in southeastern Lower Austria, the Slovak Ore Mountains, and the Kőszeg-Güns-Mountains; other than some deposits in the Slovak Ore Mountains, the ores in these mines lack chemical and lead isotopic characterizations, which precludes their direct use in provenancing. The Mahrersdorf hoard contains several axes belonging to two typological groups: end-winged and socketed axes made in the central and southeastern European traditions, respectively. Analyses show that the two groups coincide with the chemistry of each fahlore copper alloy. Metallographic analyses identified that the bronze objects represent four different stages in the production process: ingots, cast objects without edge hardening, finished objects with edge hardening, and one recycled object. Three socketed axes with T-decoration were deserving of special attention, since they were cast in the same mould.

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