Arctic Archaeometallurgy

• Main Author: Cooper, Kory
• Other Authors: Friesen, Max, Mason, Owen
• Format: Book
• Language: unknown
• Published: Oxford University Press 2016
• Subjects: Arctic; Bering Strait; Subarctic
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199766956.013.13

By at least the first century A.D., metals were being integrated into the technologies of indigenous cultures across Arctic and Subarctic North America. In addition to naturally occurring pure forms of copper and iron in the region, Old World metals were also available via trade across Bering Strait to the west and with Norse in the east. The importance of metals, both before and after contact with Europeans, has been recognized by scholars since the early days of Arctic exploration, but despite long-term interest in the topic there is still much to be learned about metallurgical innovation in the region. This chapter provides an overview of precontact metal use in the Arctic, discusses analytical methods, and offers suggestions for future research on the topic.