The implication of diachronic changes reflected in LBA bronze assemblages of Central Kazakhstan
- PDF / 4,737,859 Bytes
- 11 Pages / 595.276 x 790.866 pts Page_size
- 31 Downloads / 154 Views
(2020) 12:7
ORIGINAL PAPER
The implication of diachronic changes reflected in LBA bronze assemblages of Central Kazakhstan Jang-Sik Park 1 & Dmitriy Voyakin 2 & Arman Beisenov 3 Received: 22 March 2019 / Accepted: 23 October 2019 # Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract The Late Bronze Age in central Kazakhstan may be considered an incubation time for significant social and political changes that would soon transpire with the coming of the Early Iron Age. In seeking material evidence that might predict the imminence of such changes, differences in technology and artifact makeup were noted in the visual and microscopic investigation of local LBA bronze assemblages separated in time by one to three centuries. During this period, tin alloying in copper became more prominent while there was growing dependence on casting for fabrication. This change in technology apparently came with the increasing demand for weapons and decorative items, signifying the emergence of conflicts and social differentiation. No evidence was noted, however, of the fabrication of the metallic horse harness or of the use of lead or arsenic in copper alloys. The diachronic differences, clearly visible when viewing the LBA bronze assemblages in comparative perspectives, indicate that the emergence of conspicuous technological and social transformations at the turn of the EIA era could be regarded as an intensification of the changes already in progress in central Kazakhstan during the LBA period. Keywords Central Kazakhstan . Late Bronze Age . Bronze technology . Diachronic changes
Introduction The recent analytical study on bronze assemblages from the EIA sites in central Kazakhstan (Park et al. forthcoming) revealed evidence of significant social and political transitions reflected in the makeup of artifacts and the chemical composition of alloys. The discriminated use of tin and arsenic in the preparation of copper alloys for making various metal objects, enforced evidently by
* Jang-Sik Park [email protected] Dmitriy Voyakin [email protected] Arman Beisenov [email protected] 1
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Hongik University, Jochiwon, Sejong 30016, South Korea
2
Department of Documentation and Archaeological Conservation, Margulan Institute of Archaeology, Almaty, Kazakhstan
3
Department of Prehistoric Archaeology, Margulan Institute of Archaeology, Almaty, Kazakhstan
limited access to tin, served as an indicator of the value assigned to each object at the time. One of the key findings of the study included the emphasis placed on making arrowheads and ornamental items. Another major finding was the implementation of an alloy recipe based on the addition of arsenic in copper, specifically for mass production of cast articles required for horse riding. These findings were interpreted as signifying the intensification of conflicts and social stratification in keeping with the establishment of mobility-dependent societies able to mobilize more people and exploit larger territories
Data Loading...
