The Metal Finds from Punta di Zambrone and Other Sites, and the Bronze Age Metal Supply in Southern Calabria

This is the final publication of all metal objects found during the excavations at Punta di Zambrone, supplemented by other Bronze and Iron Age metal finds from the wider region of southern Calabria. A typo-chronological discussion of all classifiable artefacts is followed by the results and discussion of archaeometric investigations. SEM-EDS analyses surprisingly revealed that one artefact consists of a material resembling copper-iron sulphide. The analytical results further revealed that the origin of the metal in the lead objects can be traced back to the Aegean, in one case specifically to Attica. An Aegean origin is also attested for a silver bracelet from the Middle Bronze Age grave of Gallo di Briatico that yielded other relevant Aegean objects. The bronzes showed a more varied picture. Some of them can clearly be assigned to Cypriot and southern Alpine copper ore deposits (Trentino region) respectively. One cannot exclude a Sardinian provenance of the copper in the case of two further Bronze Age artefacts (and one of Early Iron Age date). These analyses provide a deep insight into the metal supply networks that were in operation in Calabria, especially during the Recent Bronze Age.