A 3,000-year-old copper mine in Spain may have supplied metal used in Bronze Age objects found in Scandinavia, according to new research that points to long-distance connections across Europe.
Researchers compared samples from the Las Minillas mine in southwestern Spain with more than 300 bronze artifacts from Scandinavian sites. Eleven objects had chemical and lead isotope characteristics consistent with copper from the mine, although the findings do not prove the metal came directly from Las Minillas.
The study, published in the journal Antiquity, places mining at Las Minillas between roughly 1,300 and 800 or 700 B.C. Researchers describe it as the largest securely dated Late Bronze Age copper mine excavated in the Iberian Peninsula.
Seven of the matching Scandinavian objects date to about 900 to 700 B.C., close to the mine’s final period of activity. Two others date to 700 to 500 B.C., after mining there appears to have ended.
The copper mine in Spain offers clues to Scandinavia’s metal supply
Archaeologists uncovered a trench extending along a 300-meter (980-foot) copper deposit near Granja de Torrehermosa. The workings were 2 to 4 meters wide (7 to 13 feet), while drilling indicated that some sections reached depths of up to 16.5 meters (54 feet).
Excavations beginning in 2020 documented 892 stone tools, including 735 grooved hammers. Charcoal recovered from the mining area and a nearby settlement produced 17 radiocarbon dates associated with the Late Bronze Age. Remains of a circular hut, fireplaces, and handmade pottery suggest workers may have lived there temporarily.
Researchers also found copper droplets and about 300 kilograms (660 pounds) of slag, material left from smelting. However, charcoal from the metallurgical area dates to Roman and Islamic times, raising questions about when some processing took place.
Estimates of the mine’s copper output range from a minimum of 49 metric tons to as much as 738 metric tons, with a more cautious estimate of 197 metric tons.
Declining mines in Wales and Austria raise new trade questions
More than 100 potential prehistoric mining sites are known across southern Iberia, although only six have been securely dated to the Late Bronze Age. Researchers call the possible regional mining system the “Southern Iberian Copper Mining Complex” and are examining whether its growth was linked to declining production in Wales and Austria.
The copper mine in Spain may have supplied Scandinavia through maritime trading networks that connected the Atlantic coast with northern Europe. In that scenario, Iberian copper supplemented supplies from the Italian Alps and other producing regions.
Preliminary comparisons also suggest that some bronze objects from Britain, Poland, Spain and Portugal share characteristics with material found at Las Minillas. Further dating and testing of other mines could help determine how important southern Iberia was to Europe’s Bronze Age metal trade.
See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!
