Recent work on the ores of tin by veteran archaeologist Alan Williams and his team provides illuminating evidence for its origins. Archaeologists learned that Cornwall and Devon, the far southwestern tip of England, were critical centers of this high-value metal for long-distance ancient trade networks. This study provides substantial evidence that these areas were abundant in tin ore. Aside from their cultural significance, the rivers acted as crucial arteries of trade for early civilizations.
Demand for tin increased when major population centers started switching from copper to bronze about 4,200 years ago. Cornish and Devon farming communities made dramatic moves to reinitialize massive-scale mining efforts. Their plans were to mine the valuable tin ore deposits that were located in their areas. These initiatives were not just a catalyst for the establishment of far-reaching trading networks. Soon British tin was flowing over the whole of Europe, and down into the Eastern Mediterranean to boot.
By taking ore samples from across Cornwall and Devon researchers were able to narrow down the source of this tin. Specifically, they focused on lead and tin trace elements and isotopes. Their discoveries support the hypothesis that Saint Michael’s Mount, a tidal island off Cornwall’s coast, functioned as an early trading center for tin. Yet the evidence demonstrates its critical importance to trade at the time.
“Every available tin source was exploited to meet the demand for tin by the great population centers of the ancient world,” stated Wayne Powell, a key contributor to the research. Smartly, mining and resource exploitation in Cornwall and Devon was key. By a little more than 3,500 years ago, these areas became the primary source of tin for societies producing bronze across Europe.
The trading routes imposed in this period were vast. Archaeological evidence suggests that metallic facceschnitzel from these areas made their way to northern and central Europe around 3,800 years ago. In stark contrast, Eastern Mediterranean societies experienced this power almost 3,400 years ago. A developing shipwreck off the south-west coast of France has been dated to nearly 2,600 years ago. It has produced tin ingots that come from Britain, showcasing the interconnectedness of these areas in the context of ancient trade.
In its conclusions, the study compares its findings with previous work by Wayne Powell. He followed tin found on the 3,300-year-old Uluburun shipwreck, off Turkey’s coast, back to sources in Central Asia. This previous research uncovered a fascinating movement of tin from Central Asia. It passed along newly established trade routes into present-day Iraq before crossing westward into present-day Turkey. Hundreds of prehistoric tin mines have been found in Central Asia. Thus far, Russian archaeologists have pinpointed at least 28 sites in Kazakhstan alone.
Benjamin Roberts, an archaeometallurgist from Durham and a co-author of the study, underscored the significance of southwestern Britain’s tin. “Tin from southwestern Britain was a major commodity source and did, we believe, enable the full transition of Eastern Mediterranean civilizations from copper to bronze use,” he remarked.
For millennia, bronze artifacts from the Eastern Mediterranean exhibited a mysterious admixture of tin. Similar decorative tin came not only from European areas such as Cornwall and Devon but from several Central Asian locations. Researchers recognized a lack of existing data. No similar trace element and lead isotope data are available for two other prominent tin ore districts within Central Asia.
This timely research serves as an important reminder of the interconnectedness of ancient civilization and the key role that British tin fueled their advancement. As explained in another research paper, as societies started adopting new materials such as bronze, they became increasingly dependent upon trade networks. These transit networks enabled people and other resources to leap across great distances.
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