Bronze Age Metal Objects from East Crete, Greece

The excavations of Bronze Age settlement sites in eastern Crete have yielded a large corpus of metal objects. These habitation contexts tend to date to the Late Bronze Age (ca. 1600-1100 BC). The artifacts are mostly comprised of small toiletry items, small weapons such as daggers and knives, and tools for utilitarian purposes such as axes, chisels, vessels, hooks, needles, and knives. A minority of the excavated pieces has been scientifically analyzed using a range of methods such as Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS), energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (ED XRF), X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometry, and Lead Isotope (LI) analysis. These techniques assist in determining elemental composition and give insight into local metallurgical traditions, which were significantly active since the Final Neolithic period in eastern Crete. Patterns emerge when comparing the results of various scientific analyses among many different types of metal objects and between different sites.