Beaker and Early Bronze Age Tin Exploitation in Cornwall:Cassiterite Processing Identified through Microwear and pXRF Analyses

• Published in: European Journal of Archaeology
• Main Authors: Carey, Chris, Tsoraki, Christina, Jones, Andy, Harris, Oliver, Crellin, Rachel, Lyons, Peter
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2022
• Subjects: Beaker; Cornwall; cassiterite; microwear; metallurgy; ore processing; Copper Mine; Cornish; Ross Island
• Online Access: https://research.brighton.ac.uk/en/publications/773c339a-c4d9-4340-a9c9-96fa52fa1618; https://doi.org/10.1017/eaa.2022.30; https://cris.brighton.ac.uk/ws/files/33287695/EJA_470_Tin_Final_PURE.pdf

The appearance of Beaker pottery in Britain and Ireland during the twenty-fifth century BC marks a significant archaeological horizon, being synchronous with the first metal artefacts. The adoption of arsenical copper, mostly from Ireland, was followed by that of tin-bronze around 2200 BC. However,...