Physicochemical analyses of copper based artefacts from the late predynastic site of Maadi (Egypt)

Abstract

Maadi (Egypt) is a significant Lower Egyptian Culture site, which is particularly famous fo being a crossroads in the connection between Egypt and Southern Levant in Late Predynastic period The site has also provided a meaningful quantity and diversity of copper artefacts, obtained durin many years of archaeological excavations conducted by different international teams, which, togethe with other imported items from Palestine, may indicate it was also an important junction in the overal copper exchange routes. Some of the materials were under archaeometallurgical examination in th past, primarily by the means of the lead isotope analysis.

Inthis thesis project, a multi-versatile systematic approach is applied to investigate some coppe based artefacts, coming from the Sapienza University excavation at Maadi. In fact, a large number o techniques is used, including Optical Microscopy (OM), Scanning Electron Microscope with Energ Dispersive Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) Energy Dispersive X-ray Diffraction (EDXD), X-ra Diffractometry, ICP-OES/ICP-MS and Strontium Isotope Analysis. Various aspects are under the ligh of this study, among them, the overall chemical composition and the structure of objects, the corrosio patina nature, the manufacturing techniques, with the final aim of a possible identification of the coppe ore. The acquired results are compared with earlier studies performed on the copper samples fro Maadi and other similarly dated archaeological sites connected to metallurgical activities in this part o the world. Of greater importance in this thesis is the presentation of the first successful experimen concerning the application of Strontium Isotope Analysis in the provenance of the copper ore. The 87Sr 86Sr values of Maadi samples studied in this work point out Timna copper mines as source of ra material. The Strontium Isotope Analysis is commonly used in studying the other archaeologica materials, especially bones and dental enamel for the purpose of tracing migration patterns of huma and animal populations in past. Inthis thesis work, it is showed that this analysis has a great chance t be implemented in the metal studies and become another possible option in tracing the sources o copper ore in ancient times. It might serve as independent or supplementary technique to lead isotop analysis. Combining the set of above mentioned techniques in adequate systematic way, allows to gai sufficient data, which in turns can contribute to the reconstruction of the overall picture of the coppe trade and early metallurgy in Egypt and Near East in Late Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age I.