Abstract
This paper presents the first study of Seima-Turbino-style daggers from East Kazakhstan using X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and SEM-EDS analyses. Different alloys used in the manufacture of the daggers were identified, which is preliminarily explained by the use of different ore sources. The hypothesis is discussed that metallurgists of the Seima-Turbino period intentionally extracted and added lead as an alloying metal. Copper-tin-lead alloys appear to be characteristic specifically of the West Altai metallurgical tradition within the vast Seima-Turbino distribution area. In addition, the study of one figured dagger pommel revealed, for the first time among Seima-Turbino bronzes, an alloy composed almost entirely of tin. The anomalously high tin content in the ram figurine may be explained by the proximity of the cassiterite sources of the Kalba Range and the abundance of tin among the culture's earliest miners.