Prehistoric copper pyrotechnology in the Swiss Alps: Approaches to site detection and chaîne opératoire

Abstract

In the framework of a long-time research focus on prehistoric Alpine settlement, activity, and human ecology, the University of Zurich Dept. of Prehistoric Archaeology has engaged in a new tri-national interdisciplinary project on early Copper production in the Central and Eastern Alps. This paper discusses the research settings and strategies of the Zurich team in the Oberhalbstein valley, canton of Grisons, with an emphasis on processes in the operational chain and coordinated field survey methods. First results in the localization and investigation of ore extracting and smelting sites are presented, and evaluated against the overall situation in the valley and the background of investigation in other Copper producing areas of the Alps.