The emergence of complex metallurgy on the Iranian Plateau

Abstract

The Iranian Plateau was one of the heartlands of early copper metallurgy, yet it is also one of the least studied and least understood archaeometallurgical regions. Complex ore deposits combined with precocious technological know-how contributed to the development of an often unprecedented metallurgical tradition beginning in the Late Neolithic period and continuing through the Bronze Age. In this chapter, the development of metallurgy on the Iranian Plateau is juxtaposed against the better-known development of metallurgy in the Levant to show how different regions of Eurasia-even those connected through trade routes-maintained unique traditions. The evolution of metallurgy in one region cannot be used as a model for metallurgical development in another region unless direct technological transfer can be demonstrated.