An old problem in a new light: Elemental and lead isotopic analysis of Luristan Bronzes

• Elemental and lead isotopic analysis of recently excavated Luristan bronzes. Contexts from Iron Age western Iran (ca.1000-800 BCE). Tin bronze metallurgy as the main technology in first millennium BCE Iran. Complex use metal resources to produce tin alloys. Use copper sources Iranian Plateau neighbouring areas. The emergence provenance Bronzes has been a subject interest for many decades. This paper presents results elemental series discovered recent excavations Sangtarashan sanctuary, well an extensive comparative study on Bronzes. was performed order better understand production region during Age. It focuses artefacts themselves, no mining or evidence so far. For this purpose, 46 samples different pieces thin sheet vessels were analysed by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) their composition multi-collector plasma-mass (MC-ICP-MS) composition. showed that with variable content used these artefacts. alloy also shows may have material ritual Furthermore, isotope ratios partially overlap those ore deposits Plateau, including close (such Deh Hosein) further away, central eastern In fact, revealed it is not possible at stage research identify one specific deposit source Luristan. Thus, suggests ancient metalworkers apparently