Mining and Metal Production through the Ages

This volume grew out of the proceedings of an international conference hosted by The British Museum in 1995, augmented by the inclusion of participants' more recent work and additional contributions by other leading experts in the field. Among the various topics are the early development of copper smelting technology as exemplified at Feinan, Jordan, the recognition of Bronze Age copper mining in the British Isles, and the discovery of Bronze Age tin mining and processing at Kestel and Goltepe in Turkey. The excavation of ancient smelting sites, long confined to Europe and the Near East, is now occurring in other parts of the world, as shown by reports on copper smelting in China and South Africa. More complex extraction processes include the treatment of silver-rich jarosite ores, crucible processes, and the production of brass by direct processes.