Project Ancient Tin: Did British tin sources and trade make Bronze Age Europe?

Joint Lecture with Cornwall Archaeological Society

In c. 2200 BC, Britain and Ireland were the first regions in Europe to completely switch over from copper to Bronze metal, typically with around 10% tin. This change spread across the rest of Bronze Age Europe and the Mediterranean over the following centuries. There has long been speculation that tin from Devon and Cornwall was traded across the continent. Project Ancient Tin has sought to “fingerprint” British and other European tin ores to tin artefacts using the latest chemical and isotopic analytical techniques, re-evaluating the European Bronze Age tin trade.

Speakers Ben Roberts and Alan Williams are in the Department of Archaeology, Durham University.