The metals reveal: The Bronze Age was more connected than we previously thought
In connection with the research project Metals & Giants, an international research team has shed new light on the metal trade in the Bronze Age
Aarhus University
image:
Close up of a Nuragic bronzetti, a bronze statuette of circa 10 cm height with the typical horned helmet and the welcoming hand symbol. The bronzetti was found at the Bronze Age sanctuary of Abini in central Sardinia.
view moreCredit: by Heide W. Nørgaard with permission of the Museo Archaeologica Nazionale di Caglairi.
In the Bronze Age, the so-called Nuraghe culture flourished in Sardinia. A culture that is known for tower-like stone constructions, nuraghers, and for the small bronze figures, bronzetti, which often depict warriors, gods and animals. These figures have fascinated scientists, but their exact metallic origins have been unknown.
To find out where the copper in these figures came from, the research team used a new scientific method called a multi-proxy approach (a combination of different chemical analyses). Here, they compared isotopes of copper, tin, lead and a rarer isotope called osmium to get a clearer picture of the origin of the metals. The method, developed at the Curt-Engelhorn Center for Archaeometry in Mannheim, has made it possible to solve a puzzle that has puzzled researchers for years.
"The results show that bronzetti was primarily made from copper from Sardinia, sometimes mixed with copper from the Iberian Peninsula (modern-day Spain and Portugal). The study also revealed that copper from the Levant – places like Timna in Israel and Faynan in Jordan – was not used in Sardinia, which was only made clear by looking at osmium isotopes," says first author Daniel Berger from the Curt-Engelhorn Center for Archaeometry, who developed the new method, performed the analyses and provided the basic interpretation.
Collaboration between natural science and archaeology
While Daniel Berger emphasizes how the new method of isotope analyses provides a clear picture of the geographical origin of copper, Helle Vandkilde points to the collaboration between natural science and archaeology.
"Archaeological methods establish a strong foundation that the latest scientific methods can refine and explain. This will bring old discussions to an end. In our case, the very latest geochemical knowledge points to the origin of the metal in specific geographical areas and certain mines. It is also possible in several cases to trace a strategic mix of copper with different origins; Presumably to achieve certain effects such as the product's colour and strength," says Professor Helle Vandkilde from Aarhus University.
The researchers also examined three of the largest Nuraghian shrines, all of which produced bronzetti, and discovered that the metal used at each site was very similar. This suggests that there was a common approach to the production of these objects throughout the island.
According to the research group, it is interesting that although Sardinia has local sources of tin and lead, they were not used in the figurines. The tin to be used to make bronze must have been imported, probably from the Iberian Peninsula, based on the isotope signatures of bronzetti and the chemical patterns of Sardinian tin objects.
"Having the opportunity to analyse the famous bronze figures from Sardinia is an important step towards understanding how the island has been a central piece of the metal trade during the Bronze Age. The shape and execution of the figures fit into the material culture of the period, and yet they contain stylistic features that feel amazingly familiar to us in southern Scandinavia. We only have to think of the Viksø helmets or the warriors on our petroglyphs wearing helmets adorned with horns. With new knowledge about where the metal for these figures came from, we are now one step closer to mapping the connections between Sardinia and Scandinavia," says Associate Professor at Moesgaard Heide Wrobel Nørgaard.
A Nordic connection
Field studies in collaboration between Aarhus University and Moesgaard Museum have demonstrated hitherto unknown connections between Sardinia and the Nordic countries in the Bronze Age 1000-800 BC.
Iconic horned helmets, which we know from Viksø, Kallerup, Grevensvænge and Tanum, also appear in Sardinia, both in miniature and giant formats. In both places, these unique horn-helmeted figures are found.
The warior bronzetti from Abini, central Sardinia. Most bronzetti are shown with a weapon set consisting of differnet combinations. This bronzetti is part of the archer group and features a sword, bow, arrows, and elements of body armour, including the typical horned helmet. These horned helmets are worn by warrior statuettes.
A bronzetti picturing another kind of warrior found in the sanctuary of Santa Vittoria di Serri in central Sardinia. This warrior type is only shown with a dagger and has a long, wide cloak. The hands of this bronzetti are broken; however, based on similar bronzetti, it might have shown the open hand gesture.
Credit
picture by Heide W. Nørgaard with permission of the Museo Archaeologica Nazionale di Caglairi.
Facts about the research project
- The project 'Metals & Giants' is supported by the Augustinus Foundation.
- The project is a collaboration between Aarhus University, Moesgaard, the Curt-Engelhorn Center for Archaeometry (Mannheim) and Soprintendenza Archeologia Belle Arti e Paesaggio per la Città Metropolitana di Cagliari e le province di Oristano.
- First author: Daniel Berger (Curt-Engelhorn Center for Archaeometry), has developed the new method for determining the origin of copper, performed the analyses and was responsible for the basic interpretation.
- Additional archaeological research contributions come from Aarhus University (Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies) and Moesgaard represented by Professor Helle Vandkilde, Associate Professor Heide Wrobel Nørgaard and Postdoc Nicola Ialongo.
Read more in the scientific article"Multiproxy analysis unwraps origin and fabrication biographies of Sardinian figurines: On the trail of metal-driven interaction and mixing practises in the early first millennium BCE
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| Sardinia | Italy, Map, History, People, & Points of Interest | Britannica |
Article Title
Multiproxy analysis unwraps origin and fabrication biographies of Sardinian figurines: On the trail of metal-driven interaction and mixing practices in the early first millennium BCE
Article Publication Date
10-Sep-2025
New evidence of long-distance travelers in Seddin during the Bronze Age
Recent research suggests that many of the Bronze Age people buried in Seddin, Germany, were not locals but came from outside the region. While archaeologists had previously uncovered artefacts from other parts of Europe around Seddin, this new study reveals that people themselves travelled and settled in Seddin.
This is the first bioarchaeological investigation on human skeletal remains from the Seddin area. While studying archaeological artefacts can reveal trade and exchange between different areas, it cannot determine whether this was accompanied by human travel. This new study sheds light on how people travelled around Europe during the Bronze Age.
”We were able to address this knowledge gap for the elite population at Seddin by investigating their skeletal remains, and identifying that their chemical composition was foreign to the region. However, the investigated individuals generally came from outstanding burial mounds, meaning that our results are not representative of the general populous, only the elites.”, says Dr. Anja Frank, who has lead the study.
The study is the result of an international collaboration including researchers and archaeologists from the University of Gothenburg. The study concludes that Seddin—with its monumental burial mounds—must have been a significant hub of international connections between 900 and 700 BCE.
” This is reflected in the fact that most buried individuals show a non-local, foreign strontium signature”, says professor Kristian Kristiansen, University of Gothenburg.
”The strontium signatures of most of the buried individuals point both to south Scandinavia as well as Central Europe, and possible northern Italy. This is in good accordance with the archaeological knowledge that shows intensified trade between these regions”.
How the research was conducted
The international and interdisciplinary team analysed cremated remains from five Late Bronze Age burial sites around Seddin, including the 9th-century BCE Wickbold I mound, for their strontium isotope composition. Dr. Anja Frank explains how strontium isotopes can track past mobility. To determine whether a person is local or non-local, their strontium isotope composition needs to be compared to a reference baseline. For this purpose, the strontium isotope composition of the surrounding area of Seddin was defined using different environmental materials, including archaeological soil and surface waters.
“We measured strontium isotopes in the inner ear bones found within elite cremation burials. The inner ear bone is formed in early childhood and resistant to change after, even during cremation. During it’s formation the bone incorporates the strontium composition of our food and, due to its robustness, “safes” it”, says Dr. Anja Frank.
Hence, if the strontium isotope composition of the inner ear bone of a Bronze Age individual does not match the strontium isotope composition found in the environment around the settlement they were buried in, meaning the area food was sourced from, they can be identified as non-local to the area.
“Identifying the area of origin is less straight forward, as multiple areas can have the same strontium composition, thus, we identified multiple, which were narrowed down further using the archaeological record”, says Anja Frank.
Kristian Kristiansen and Serena Sabatini, both archaeologists from the University of Gothenburg have participated in the study. The study is published in PLOS One as open access: “ A Late Bronze Age foreign elite? Investigating mobility patterns at Seddin, Germany”
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0330390
Facts
The study was conducted in collaboration with archaeologists, archaeometrists and geochemists from the University of Gothenburg, the National Museum of Denmark, the University of Copenhagen, the Brandenburgisches Landesamt für Denkmalpflege und Archäologisches Landesmuseum and the Eurasia-Department of the Deutschen Archäologbischen Instituts und Facts.
Journal
PLOS One
Method of Research
Case study
Subject of Research
Human tissue samples
Article Title
A Late Bronze Age foreign elite? Investigating mobility patterns at Seddin, Germany
Article Publication Date
10-Sep-2025
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