Mineralogical and Geochemical Features of the Final Bronze Age Copper Slag in the Saryarka Metallurgical Center (Central Kazakhstan)

Maksim N. Ankushev, Vitalii Viktorovich Varfolomeev, Ivan A. Blinov, Анкушева Полина Сергеевна, Dmitry A. Artemyev, Pavel V. Khvorov

2023

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DOI 10.1134/s263516762360030x

Data confidence 70 medium

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Abstract

Abstract Investigation of the mineralogy and geochemical features of copper metallurgical slags and ore fragments from the settlements Kent, Kamal, Saurambay, and Shokpartas in Central Kazakhstan of the Final Bronze Age is carried out. AMS radiocarbon dates are obtained for the Saurambay (3170 ± 20 BP) and Kamal (2890 ± 20 BP) settlements, which determine their metallurgical horizon at the Final Bronze Age. Most of the metal smelted in the settlements is copper, often with admixtures of Fe and Mn. Sporadic smelting was carried out to obtain Sn−As and As−Sb bronzes. For the smelting of copper, oxidized ore concentrates were used to a greater extent, with the minor importance of sulfide ores. The impurities of manganese in the slag and manganese ore fragments at the Saurambay and Shokpartas settlements testify to the active use of manganese minerals as fluxes.