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A foreign cauldron full of imports: Elemental and lead isotope analyses of bronze objects from the Hassle hoard (Late Bronze Age Period VI, HaC–HaD), Sweden
Stockholm University, Faculty of Humanities, Department of Archaeology and Classical Studies, Archaeology.ORCID iD: 0000-0003-3796-7066
2025 (English)In: Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, ISSN 2352-409X, E-ISSN 2352-4103, Vol. 66, article id 105202Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

This study uses metal analyses to examine one of the most import-rich metalwork finds in the Scandinavian final Bronze Age—the Hassle hoard (probably deposited c. 500 BCE)—containing two ciste a cordoni/Rippenzisten, two Hallstatt Mindelheim swords (one with bronze pommel), two small hooks and twelve bronze-iron ornamental discs in a large bronze cauldron, all submerged in the now-drained river Äverstaån. Twelve samples from a selection of eight objects in the Hassle hoard have been analysed, primarily for chemical composition and lead isotopic signature. The aim is to study their alloy recipes, and origins and potential production areas, also allowing for comparison of similarities and differences between objects in the assemblage. Apart from the sword pommel, with a typical fahlore signature, the alloys in the Hassle objects differ considerably from most of the alloys in previously analysed, contemporary Nordic Bronze Age objects. The cauldron is very atypic for the area, so far without any clear match in relevant isotopic datasets. The analytical results support a foreign origin, both for the metal and for the objects. The results show that the objects, even those from typologically comparable groups, are made of several alloys, from raw materials of different origins. As relevant reference material for objects of similar types is so far limited, these analyses contribute to build dataset for future comparisons. The results underline the complexity in both raw material and alloys circulating in Late Bronze Age Scandinavia and Early Iron Age Europe.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2025. Vol. 66, article id 105202
Keywords [en]
Scandinavia, Bronze Age–Early Iron Age copper-alloys, Provenance of copper, Lead isotopes, Trace elements, Exchange networks
National Category
Archaeology
Research subject
Archaeology
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:su:diva-244250DOI: 10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105202ISI: 001506811200001Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-105007334276OAI: oai:DiVA.org:su-244250DiVA, id: diva2:1969045
Funder
Berit Wallenberg Foundation, BWS 2019.0051; BWS 2020.0042Available from: 2025-06-13 Created: 2025-06-13 Last updated: 2025-10-03Bibliographically approved

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Sörman, Anna

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