Reviewed by Ervan G. Garrison, Geology and Anthropology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602 USA
This two volume work provides important new insights
into the metallurgy of the Middle to Late Bronze Age of TransAlpine Switzerland.
The work is written in French and German depending on the co-authors, Rycliner
(French) and Kläntschi (German). The bulk of the text is in French.
This reflects Rychnerís role as the originator of the project and the conceptual
organizer of work.
This is not to diminish Kläntschiís role which
entailed over three years of chemical analyses of this impressive set (941)
of bronze artifacts.
The work is well organized into Volume 1, which
contains the eight chapters of text and bibliography and Volume 2 which
contains an index of sites, catalog of artifacts, appendices, tables, figures,
maps and plates. Of particular importance to international readers are
excellent four page summaries in German, English, and Italian at the end
of Volume 1. Such summaries have become a standard part of almost every
Swiss archeological publication and should be applauded. They provide an
in-depth summary of the work that no simple abstract can accomplish.
The principal author, Valentin Rychner, is a faculty
member of the Seminar of Prehistory at the University of Neuchâtel
as well as a curator at the Museum of Archaeology of Neuchâtel. Many
of the artifacts analyzed in this study were excavated by teams lead by
Rychner at Auvernier in the 1970ís. These excavations, at Auvernier, formed
the basis of Rychnerís dissertation, Rychner, 1979. Rychnerís interest
in the chemical study of bronze metallurgy began in the late 70ís and early
80ís as demonstrated by his publications on copper and its alloys of the
Late Bronze Age in western Switzerland (Rychner 1981; 1983).
Kläntschi (1980; 1987; 1990; 1993), along with
other European researchers such as Trampuz-Orel (1991; 1993), Pernicka
(1984; 1995), Bourhis (1975; 1979; 1984), and Junghans et al. (1960; 1968;
1974) have demonstrated the efficacy of instrumental analysis of prehistoric
metals. Kläntschi has developed this interest using the multiple-element
spectrographic techniques of inductively coupled plasma spectroscopy (ICP).
Combining the sample population of nearly 1000 well-provenanced
artifacts with a powerful instrumental technique placed this study on the
firmest of methodological grounds. The studyís stated objectives are: the
compositional classification of bronzes used in Switzerland during the
Middle and Late Bronze Ages from Bronze B to Hallstatt B-2. The study attempts
to isolate time-dependent (diachronic) changes in the composition of the
principal metal-copper-and correlate these changes with the chronological
evolution of (the) object topology. The study was carried out from 1984
to 1987 at Kläntschiís laboratory in Dübendorf, Germany.
The bulk of the artifacts examined (774 out of 941/83%)
were mostly axes (546/58%), knives (146/15%) and sickles (82/9%). From
these specimens, small (30 mg) samples were drilled. ICP analysis lends
itself to small samples and thus reduces the requisite damage to an artefact
to a minimum.
The analysis centers on the characterization the
bronzes using a compositional topology of three principal impurities -
arsenic, nickel, and antimony - hence the title of the work.
Beginning with Chapter 2 the study starts by dividing
the objects into five chronological groups based on typology. These are:
Middle Bronze Age (Bronze moyen); Bronze D - Hallstatt A 1 (BzD-HaA1);
Hallstatt A 2 (HaA2); Hallstatt B 1 (HaB1); and Hallstatt B2 (HaB2). Chapter
3 divides the sample on areal considerations - East, Central, and West
Switzerland. The authors point out the bulk of the sample comes from the
central area or Swiss Plateau that reaches from Zürich to Geneva.
This distribution clearly reflects the historical preponderance of archaeological
research in this region since the 19th Century.
Chapters 4 and 5 involve the statistical parsing
of the chemical analytical data. The first step is the use of simple histograms
which show changes in chemical composition do occur with time. The authors
derived seven compositional types (1-7) based on elemental characteristics.
These were further sub-divided on the basis of absolute concentration of
the elements, e.g. ìlowî, ìnormalî, and ìhighî. This sorting into 20 composition
groups immediately demonstrated the correlation of composition to chronology
- 84% of the ìlowî group belonged to the Middle and Early-Late Bronze Age
and 83% of the ìhighî group belonged to the Late Bronze Age phase, HaB1.
Chapter 5 details the hierarchial classification of the sample using average
link cluster analysis resulting in dendrogram plots. These dendrograms,
along with the data sets on which they are based, are given in Volume 2.
Chapter 6 begins the synthesis and discussion of
the study results. From the standpoint of the studyís objectives, this
is the most important discussion. Chapters 7 and 8 continue the discussion
of the results but focus on issues ancillary to the principal objectives.
Chapter 7 attempts to determine the extent to which copper used in Switzerland
circulated in neighboring regions. While pointing out the paucity of comparative
work, the authors do propose two conclusions.: (1) The copper of the Middle
Bronze Age is probably of Austrian origin and (2) the Late Bronze Age copper
originates in the Alps. Chapter 8 discusses the problems in determining
sources of copper for the European Bronze Age. Returning to Chapter 6,
the efficacy of the authorís classificatory scheme is clearly demonstrated.
The methodology works best for the Middle Bronze Age bronzes, less-well
for the Bronze D-Hallstatt A1 and, again, proves robust in characterizing
the Late Bronze Age types of HaA2. Indeed, in this later period, the authors
see a dramatic break in compositional patterns. The bronzes of this late
period became ìstandardizedî across the Swiss Plateau with nickel compositionally
dominant. Some heterogenity occurs in the Hallstatt B1 phase but the homogeneity
returns in the last Bronze Age phase, Hallstatt B2 (ca. 900BC). One final
point, in Chapter 8, involves the question of re-smelting of ìoldî bronze.
In general, the data supports the conclusion that Swiss workshops produced
bronze using new copper rather than recycling old metal.
From the standpoint of production and editing, it
is difficult to find fault. The volumes are attractive and printed on high
quality paper. Few, if any, errors in production noticeable. The photographic
plates (Volume 2) are exemplary being the results of efforts of Rychner
and Yves Andre of the Museum of Archeology of Neuchâtel. Two minor
distractions from the overall high quality of the work involve: (1) the
decision to allow each author to write in their native language. While
the bulk of the text is French, it seems a small thing to have translated
Kläntschiís contributions in French and, (2) the Swiss predilection
to publish maps without geographic references or scale. The
maps are attractive but to the international reader they present problems
in interpretation if one does not have a familiarity with Swiss geography.
These volumes are important contributions to the
study of the Bronze Age of Western Europe. The authors have established
a benchmark of quality for future studies. Methodologically, the work speaks
to metallurgical studies beyond Switzerland. The straightforward analytical
approach and its conceptual clarity, from hypothesis to synthesis, is to
be applauded.
References
Bourhis, J. 1984. Analyses des cuivres et bronzes
de Picardie et du Nord-Ouest de la France. In: Paléométallurgie
de la France atlantique 1: 23-43.
Bourhis, J.R., Biot, P.R., & Briard, J. 1975.
Analyses spectrographiques díobjets préhistoriques et antiques.
Troisème série. Travaux du Laboratoire Anthropologie:Préhistoire-Protohistoire-Quaternaire
armoricains, Université de Rennes.
Bourhis, J.R. & Briard, J. 1979. Analyses spectrographiques
díobjets préhistoriques et antiques. Quartrème série.
Travaux du Laboratoire Anthropologie-Préhistoire-Protohistoire-Quarternaire
armoricains, Université de Rennes, Rennes.
Junghans, S., Sangmeister, E. & SchrÇeder,
M. 1960. Metallanalysen kupferzeitlicher und frühbronze-zeitlicher
Bondenfunde aus Europa. Studien zu den Anfängen der Metallurgie 1.
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Junghans, S., Sangmeister, E. & SchrÇeder,
M. 1968. Kupfer und Bronze in der frühen Metallzeit Europas. Die Materialgruppen
beim Stand von 12000 Analysen. Studien zu den Anfängen der Metallurgie
2/1-3. Mann, Berlin.
Junghans, S., Sangmeister, E. & SchrÇeder,
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Kläntschi, N. 1980. Optische Emissionsspektralanalyse
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Kläntschi, N., Esenwein, A. & Müller,
Th. 1987. Simultanbestimmung von Si, Mn, P, Cu, Al, Ni, Cr, Mo, V, Ti,
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Rychner, V. 1983. Le cuivre et les alliages du Bronze
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Pernicka, E. 1984. Instrumentelle Multi-Elementanalyse
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Pernicka, E. 1995. Gewinnung und Verbreitung der
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