Understanding the productive economy during the Bronze Age through archaeometallurgical and palaeoenvironmental research at Kargaly (Southern Urals, Orenburg, Russia)

Abstract

This contribution addresses the metallurgy of Kargaly (the most important Bronze Age mining district in the Eurasian steppes) and its envir onmental impact. Our analyses of ancient copper slag demonstrated that metallurgical techniques were primitive. Smelting experiments evaluated charcoal consumption and the efficiency of copper recovery (the main factors governing models of copper production’s environmental impact). Our palaeoenvironmental research sampled and radiocarbon-dated archaeological sites and natural deposits and contextualized that evidence by studying the present-day landscape. We combined study of the pollen rain with mathematical modelling of the landscape using satellite imagery, geographical information systems, and global positioning technology.