TIN PROCESSING AT GOLTEPE, AN EARLY BRONZE-AGE SITE IN ANATOLIA

This paper presents the archaeological contexts and results of analyse s of slags, surface residues, and earthenware refractories from the th ird-millennium B.C. site of Goltepe in south-central Turkey. These mat erials are only part of a workshop/habitation assemblage at the site, which also includes ore nodules, multifaceted molds, and metal fragmen ts as well as groundstone tools utilized in ore dressing and beneficia tion. Twenty-four ceramic fragments of bowl-shaped crucibles were anal yzed as a representative sample from some 250 examples excavated in th e 1990 season. Analysis suggests the intentional production of tin met al by reduction firing of tin oxide (cassiterite, SnO2) in crucibles. Tin oxide was identified on the interior surfaces of the crucible frag ments by x-ray fluorescence, x-ray diffraction, scanning electron micr oscopy coupled with energy dispersive x-ray analysis, and wavelength d ispersive microprobe analysis. The results of these tests have a direc t bearing on the question of tin sources in ancient Anatolia.