2016 ist Journal 22.2 der Zeitschrift METALLA erschienen. Die Leserschaft erwartet wie üblich ein Portfolio an vielfältigen Beiträgen und Themen.

The world heritage ancient site of Takht-e Soleyman and its assemblage of metal objects, together with the geological
wealth and the vast ancient mining relics of the Takab area motivated the authors to conduct the investigation that led to this article. The ancient mining and ore processing sites of the Takht-e Soleyman area were surveyed and investigated in an area of 5000 km2. This contribution introduces briefly the geology and mineral resources together with the traces of ancient mining and ore processing in the area of Takht-e Soleyman. Some archaeological sites were found and documented for the first time during this investigation.

The copper mines of Wadi Amram are located only 10 km north of the prehistoric settlements Tall Hujayrat al-Ghuzlan and Tall al-Magass where there is some evidence of copper metallurgy in the Late Chalcolithic / Early Bronze Age I. These two settlements lay near the Gulf of Aqaba and may have been important nodes for the distribution of copper during this period. Earlier lead isotopic studies demonstrated that copper ores from the mines of Timna and Faynan are possible sources for the early copper production, but up until now the much closer copper deposit of Wadi Amram has been ignored. New lead isotope data has shown that the Wadi Amram copper ore can be distinguished from the ore from Timna and closely correlates to the Faynan copper ores. Some of the copper-related objects from Tall Hujayrat al-Ghuzlan and Tall al-Magass have lead isotope ratios more comparable to ore from Wadi Amram than from Timna and warrants a reassessment of the organization mode of the prehistoric mining industry in the southern Levant.

In northern Siegerland, located in the ore-rich Mittelgebirge region of Germany, a mining landscape based on copper, lead and silver metallurgy developed in the High Middle Ages. Beginning at least in the 10th century AD, silver-rich fahlore was mined and smelted. The 13th century is interpreted by archaeologists as the height of mining in the region with multiple mines, smelting sites as well as an impressive mining settlement at Altenberg near Müsen (Hilchenbach). At the current state of research, the decline in this high medieval mining area began at the end of the 13th century. Since 2013, with cooperation partners from Altenberg & Stahlberg e.V. Müsen, the Deutsches Bergbau-Museum Bochum and the LWL Archaeologie für Westfalen, new interdisciplinary research has focused on the prospection and excavation of mines, mine tailings, charcoal pits and smelting sites as well as the re-investigation and re-evaluation of the mining settlement of Altenberg near Müsen. This research, which is still in the initial phase, has already begun to provide new information on aspects of the development and organization of medieval non- ferrous metal production in this region.

Bezug der aktuellen Ausgabe: metalla@bergbaumuseum.de oder +49 234 282538-29

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