Creating traditions and shaping technologies: understanding the earliest metal objects and metal production in Western Europe

Abstract

The earliest metallurgy in Western Europe tends to be investigated through comparing the exploitation of different ore sources and the presence of specific production techniques. However, this approach does not address why the earliest metal occurred in the form that it did and how this relates to the dynamics of the prehistoric communities involved. Exploring the processes through which the earliest metallurgical traditions are created involves examining the broader spatial and temporal patterning in the available choices and identifiable actions that influence the production, circulation and deposition of metal objects. It can be shown that, despite common origins, metal reflects the distinctive, variable and changing standards of the communities during the later fourth and third millennia bc.

Keywords:

• Metallurgical traditions
• Western Europe
• cultural transmission
• networks of expertise
• consumption