Microanalytical study of copper ores from the Chalcolithic settlement of São Pedro (Portugal): Copper production in the south‐western Iberian Peninsula. (19th November 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Valério, P.; Cardoso, I. P.; Santiago, M.; Araújo, M. F.; Alves, L. C.; Gonçalves, M. A.; Mataloto, R.
• Is Part Of: Archaeometry. Volume 62:Number 2(2020)
• Page Start: 314
• Page End: 328
• Publication Date: 2019-11-19
• Subjects: Iberian Peninsula -- Chalcolithic -- micro‐EDXRF -- micro‐Raman -- micro‐PIXE -- copper ore -- elemental composition -- mineralogical composition; Archaeometry -- Periodicals; Archaeology -- Expertising -- Periodicals; 930.1
• DOI: 10.1111/arcm.12514
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0003-813X

Abstract

Abstract : Copper ores recovered at the third millennium bce settlement of São Pedro, Portugal, were characterized by micro‐Raman spectroscopy, micro‐energy dispersive X‐ray spectrometry (micro‐EDXRF) and micro‐particle‐induced X‐ray emission spectrometry (micro‐PIXE). The collection shows the common presence of secondary copper minerals (malachite, pseudomalachite and libethenite) combined with iron oxyhydroxides (hematite and goethite), while arsenic‐rich minerals are absent and, therefore, can be excluded as the source of arsenical copper. Overall, these copper ores suggest a primitive technology involving the exploitation of the superficial zone of ore bodies and reliant on the fortuitous finding of arsenic‐rich sources to produce the arsenical copper alloy frequently present among metallic collections of the Iberian Peninsula.