engleski

Late Bronze Age Metal Artefacts from the River Drava: A Technological Perspective on the Social Practice of River Offerings

The proposed poster will present a compositional analysis and discuss the broader social context of six bronze artefacts recovered from the marshlands along the river Drava in northern Croatia. In the light of the find’s archaeological context, no visible use-wear, and abundant evidence of such practice in the period, these weapons and everyday use items – two swords of the Sprockhoff type, a flanged axe, a socketed axe, a spear, and a sickle dated to Late Bronze Age (thirteenth century BC) – are interpreted as a votive river offering. Macroscopic and metallographic characteristics, along with the quantitative analysis (EPMA-EDS) of the chemical composition of the bronze alloys, are examined in relation to the artefacts’ technological properties, efficiency, and practical use value. These results are further discussed in regards to the social practice of presenting prestigious, newly made, unused, and fully functional items as votive offerings.

late bronze age; metal artefacts; use wear traces; archaeometallurgy; chemical composition; river offering

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