New evidence for long-distance trade in arsenical copper during the Early Bronze Age in the southern Levant: analysis of weapons from the Nesher-Ramla cemetery

Figures & data

Figure 1 Map of the southern Levant with the location of NRQ and additional sites mentioned in the text.

Figure 2 Funerary offerings from Burial Cave F-55.

Figure 3 Selected dagger and spearhead from NRQ, sampled for this study: 1. Dagger L11230 W188; 2. Dagger L12055 Y768; 3. Dagger L11246 W405; 4. Spearhead L306 3096.

Table 1 List of artefacts sampled for this study

No.	Type	Sample	Locus	Basket	Figure
1	Dagger	NES 7	11130	V925	—
2	Dagger	NES 8	11229	W187	—
3	Dagger	NES 9	11230	W188	3:1
4	Rivet	NES 10
5	Rivet	NES 1	11231	B102	—
6	Dagger	NES 14	11231	W192	—
7	Rivet	NES 15
8	Dagger	NES 11	11246	W405	3:3
9	Rivet	NES 12
10	Dagger	NES 19	11249	W207	—
11	Rivet	NES 20
12	Dagger	NES 5	11250	W209	—
13	Rivet	NES 6
14	Dagger	NES 17	11251	W211	—
15	Rivet	NES 18
16	Dagger	NES 4	11286	W271	—
17	Rivet	NES 2
18	Dagger	NES 16	12055	Y768	3:2
19	Spearhead	NES 3	326	B3096	3:4
20	Dagger	NES 13	10890	T993	—
21	Dagger	NES 21	16T11/4022	16T11/40052	—

Table 2 Chemical composition measured using ICP-MS (wt.%)

Sample	Fe	Co	Ni	Cu	Zn	As	Cd	Sn	Sb	Pb	Bi	Total
NES 1	0.47	0.000	0.105	89.6	0.000	0.97	0.000	0.04	0.244	0.02	0.001	92
NES 2	1.40	0.001	0.808	88.5	0.025	0.52	0.000	0.00	0.567	0.00	0.000	92
NES 3	0.03	0.000	0.031	92.9	0.000	0.00	0.000	0.00	0.005	0.02	0.000	93
NES 4	0.62	0.001	0.699	91.2	0.001	0.41	0.000	0.00	0.662	0.00	0.001	94
NES 5	0.23	0.003	1.180	94.0	0.002	0.68	0.000	0.01	0.228	0.02	0.000	96
NES 6	0.75	0.001	1.110	89.5	0.000	0.92	0.000	0.01	0.134	0.04	0.000	92
NES 7	1.06	0.001	0.102	95.4	0.003	1.40	0.000	0.00	0.656	0.02	0.000	99
NES 8	0.23	0.000	0.011	95.2	0.005	1.41	0.000	0.01	0.378	0.02	0.000	97
NES 9	0.14	0.000	0.276	95.8	0.000	1.02	0.000	0.00	0.290	0.02	0.000	98
NES 10	0.06	0.000	0.187	76.6	0.000	1.87	0.000	0.01	0.582	0.13	0.001	79
NES 11	0.91	0.001	0.439	92.9	0.003	1.27	0.000	0.00	0.431	0.01	0.000	96
NES 12	1.39	0.003	0.613	77.1	0.001	1.11	0.000	0.00	0.295	0.19	0.000	81
NES 13	0.43	0.001	0.043	91.7	0.004	1.16	0.000	0.01	0.149	0.01	0.000	94
NES 14	0.23	0.000	0.015	89.8	0.001	0.70	0.000	0.01	0.181	0.00	0.000	91
NES 15	0.45	0.000	0.104	91.2	0.000	0.84	0.000	0.00	0.157	0.02	0.000	93
NES 16	0.47	0.000	0.079	91.2	0.000	1.78	0.000	0.00	0.760	0.00	0.000	94
NES 17	0.38	0.000	0.017	89.1	0.001	1.87	0.000	0.02	0.231	0.00	0.000	92
NES 18	1.10	0.000	0.060	90.0	0.003	1.31	0.000	0.01	0.163	0.01	0.000	93
NES 19	0.35	0.001	0.581	92.3	0.000	0.24	0.000	0.00	0.073	0.00	0.000	94
NES 20	0.23	0.001	0.316	89.9	0.000	1.24	0.000	0.01	0.320	0.12	0.001	92
NES 21	1.08	0.004	0.065	90.7	0.001	1.05	0.000	0.02	0.027	0.04	0.000	93

Figure 4 Lead isotopic ratios of weapons from NRQ. Correlation between the daggers and their rivets is indicated (see data in Tables 1 and 3).

Table 3 Lead Isotope composition measured using MC-ICP-MS

Sample	^206Pb/^204Pb	σ	^207Pb/^204Pb	Σ	^208Pb/^204Pb	Σ
NES 1	18.899	0.002	15.689	0.001	39.047	0.004
NES 2	18.655	0.003	15.666	0.001	38.754	0.004
NES 3	18.036	0.000	15.640	0.001	38.159	0.001
NES 4	18.632	0.002	15.666	0.002	38.744	0.005
NES 5	18.887	0.001	15.688	0.001	39.060	0.003
NES 6	18.883	0.001	15.689	0.001	39.074	0.002
NES 7	18.076	0.002	15.637	0.002	38.203	0.005
NES 8	18.434	0.001	15.654	0.000	38.529	0.001
NES 9	18.840	0.002	15.685	0.001	39.024	0.004
NES 10	18.906	0.000	15.691	0.000	39.099	0.001
NES 11	18.773	0.002	15.684	0.002	38.958	0.004
NES 12	18.346	0.001	15.657	0.001	38.512	0.002
NES 13	18.898	0.002	15.685	0.002	38.897	0.004
NES 14	18.788	0.003	15.659	0.002	38.898	0.005
NES 15	18.913	0.000	15.685	0.001	39.057	0.001
NES 16	18.436	0.003	15.657	0.002	38.570	0.005
NES 17	18.753	0.004	15.686	0.003	38.863	0.008
NES 18	18.806	0.003	15.681	0.002	38.911	0.005
NES 20	18.913	0.002	15.690	0.001	39.100	0.004
NES 21	18.553	0.001	15.658	0.001	38.626	0.002

Figure 5 Lead isotopic ratios obtained from the NRQ weapons plotted against a two-stage Pb-Pb age model (Stacey and Kramers 1975), showing that the samples, as a group, cross several isochrons. For the results see Table 3. For ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb see Figure 7.

Figure 6 Lead isotopic ratios of weapons from NRQ plotted against 1/[Pb (%)] (see data in Tables 2 and 3). Additional Early Bronze copper-based objects are plotted for comparison: ‘EB objects’ — securely dated to EBI–III from Numeira, Jericho and Bab edh-Dhra' (Hauptmann 2007: tables 8.5–8.7), Tel Beth Shean (Segal and Yahalom-Mack 2012), Pella (Philip et al. 2003) and Arad (Hauptmann et al. 1999); ‘Monash’ — EBI objects from the Monash hoard (excluding Cu sheets, after Hauptmann et al. 2011); ‘Arslantepe’ — objects from Levels VII–VIb1 from Arslantepe (Hauptmann et al. 2002).

Figure 7 Lead isotope ratios of Early Bronze objects as presented in Fig. 4 (see caption there for references), plotted against a two-stage Pb-Pb age model (Stacey and Kramers 1975), as well as selected copper ores from the Arabah (for Amir-Avrona in Timna see data in Gale et al. 1990; Hauptmann 2007, for Faynan DLS see Hauptmann et al. 1992), copper and lead ores from Levels VII–VIA in Arslantepe (Hauptmann et al. 2002), and copper ores from Anatolia (Begemann et al. 2003; Hirao et al. 1995; Seeliger et al. 1985; Wagner et al. 1986; 1989; 2003).

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