The source of Irish chalcolithic and Bronze Age gold : a lead isotope and major element provenance study
Chalcolithic and Bronze Age Europe witnessed a marked growth in the deployment of exotic materials such as amber, jet and gold; a feature commonly linked to increases in social stratification. Of these, gold is poorly characterised in tenns of provenance which is a significant obstacle if an understanding of the role this material played in prehistoric societies is to be achieved. A combined lead isotope and major element composition provenance study has therefore been perfonned on 67 Chalcolithic and Bronze Age Irish gold artefacts. Methodologies that enable the lead isotope analysis of natural and artefact gold using both solution (external precision <250 parts per million) and laser ablation (external precision <1640 parts per million) multi-collector inductively-coupled plasma massspectrometry were developed. Analyses of 34 Irish gold deposits distinguished a series of gold bearing regions, with isotopic variation a function of source age (Early Caledonian, Late Caledonian and Variscan) and source composition (mantle, lower crustal, upper crustal). Based on lead isotope analysis alone, the majority of the Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age artefacts are consistent with southern Irish Late Caledonian or
Standish, Christopher David
The source of Irish chalcolithic and Bronze Age gold : a lead isotope and major element provenance study. Chalcolithic and Bronze Age Europe witnessed a marked growth in the deployment of exotic materials such as amber, jet and gold; a feature commonly linked to increases in social stratification. Of these, gold is poorly characterised in tenns of provenance which is a significant obstacle if an understanding of the role this material played in prehistoric societies is to be achieved. A combined lead isotope and major element composition provenance study has therefore been perfonned on 67 Chalcolithic and Bronze Age Irish gold artefacts. Methodologies that enable the lead isotope analysis of natural and artefact gold using both solution (external precision <250 parts per million) and laser ablation (external precision <1640 parts per million) multi-collector inductively-coupled plasma massspectrometry were developed. Analyses of 34 Irish gold deposits distinguished a series of gold bearing regions, with isotopic variation a function of source age (Early Caledonian, Late Caledonian and Variscan) and source composition (mantle, lower crustal, upper crustal). Based on lead isotope analysis alone, the majority of the Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age artefacts are consistent with southern Irish Late Caledonian or
source irish chalcolithic_bronze_age gold lead_isotope major_element provenance study chalcolithic_bronze_age europe witness marked growth deployment exotic material gold feature commonly link increase social stratification gold poorly characterise provenance significant obstacle role material play prehistoric_society achieve combine lead_isotope major_element composition provenance study therefore chalcolithic_bronze_age irish gold artefact methodologies enable lead_isotope analysis natural artefact gold use solution external precision part per million laser external precision part per million multi collector inductively_coupled plasma develop analyses irish gold deposit distinguish series gold bearing region isotopic variation function source age_early late source composition low upper based lead_isotope analysis alone majority chalcolithic_early bronze_age artefacts consistent southern irish late