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The production of copper in prehistory was a complex undertaking, involving a sequence of inter-related activities that required specialist knowledge and informed organization. The operation of early copper mines demanded a long-term commitment that had important implications for the societies in question. There are obvious parallels with modern mining in terms of the multi-stage nature of the process, from the initial search for copper ores to their extraction, treatment, and eventual conversion to metal. This explains why early mining is often characterized as an ‘industry’, with its own specialists and techniques. Given their professional background, it is not surprising that the earliest researchers in this field focused on the geological setting, technology, and engineering aspects of prehistoric copper mines. Modern research also deals with these aspects, but is more concerned with understanding the wider societal context of this activity. It is now recognized that any reconstruction of the chaîne opératoire of early copper mining cannot be based solely on technique and process, but needs to incorporate the dynamic social context of this activity. It also needs to recognize that human choice played a significant role in determining the process of mining. While some areas are not amenable to archaeological enquiry, a reconstruction of task structure and work routines should capture many aspects of decision making in these mines. This will be revisited in the next chapter to explore the distinctive nature of prehistoric mining communities and how they interacted with the external world. Before doing so, it is necessary to examine the process of mining in terms of the techniques employed and the work environment of these miners. The opening chapter of this book considered the concept of ore, as it would have applied in prehistory. The modern definition is essentially an economic one that relates the cost of mining a mineral deposit to perceived financial returns or strategic interests. The effort of extraction must be set against the concentration or ‘grade’ of metal present in the rock, which will determine whether it can be profitably extracted.
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