Metalwork from Central Anatolia in the Assyrian Colony Period: A Review in the Light of Finds from the Level IIIc Destruction at Kaman-Kalehöyük

Abstract

The subject of bronze metalworking has been a topic of debate for many decades. Previous research has focused on typology, while in recent years there has been an increasing interest in chemical analyses of bronze objects and the raw materials used to make the objects. However, much uncertainty still exists about the relationship between bronze artefacts and the financial value of metal. This study thus has three primary aims: 1) to develop an understanding of the comparison of bronze artefacts from central Anatolia and from the neighbouring regions; 2) to determine the influence that each type of context, such as graves, settlements and destruction levels, have on bronze artefacts; and 3) to ascertain the price and ‘value’ of commodities in the early second millennium BC. The key research question of this study is whether or not metal assemblages in central Anatolia influenced their contexts. First, the typology of bronze artefacts in central Anatolia, from sites such as Alishar Höyük, Boğazköy, Kaman-Kalehöyük and Kültepe, will be established and compared with sites in the neighbouring regions, south-east and west Anatolia, Mesopotamia, the Levant and Egypt. The first finding was that metal types did not vary greatly between regions, suggesting that the bronze typology was shared over a wide area. The second finding was that bronze items and types differ according to context. The last finding was that the price of metal varied from one area to another because the importance of trade goods differed across regions. The evidence from this study suggests that the metal industry was well organised in central Anatolia. However, the current study has examined and compared only types, and it was not determined whether or not the artefacts concerned were tin-bronze. This work thus contributes to existing knowledge on the typology of bronze artefacts by considering the value of metal.