Metallurgy was a key driver of human-environment interactions of prehistoric and early Iron Age societies in the Old World. Metal artefacts and metallurgical remains in the archaeological record signify resource management strategies, long-distance trade and regional networks, local responses to crises and attitudes towards sustainability, as well as beliefs about symbolic systems. Combined, these aspects reveal the evolving communities of metallurgical practice expressed through shared behaviours and perspectives.

 

In this lecture, Dr Orfanou brings together archaeometallurgical insights from elemental and isotopic analyses, microscopic examination, field experiments and machine learning applications, drawing on selected materials from the Carpathian Basin and the Greek Peninsula dating to the 2nd and early 1st mil. BC.

 

The findings showcase the ever-changing relationship between metals and early communities amid deep social transformations including episodes of society collapse and restructuring. The concept of communities of practice frames past metallurgy as a socially embedded practice transmitted through interconnected networks of materials and people, which forged craft identities and attitudes across Bronze and Iron Age southeastern Europe and the eastern Mediterranean.

 

 

Dr Vana Orfanou is an archaeological scientist investigating ancient technologies through the interdisciplinary analyses of inorganic materials, with a focus on past metallurgies. She recently completed a Marie Skłodowska-Curie postdoctoral research programme at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, having previously held postdoctoral research positions at University College Dublin, Aarhus University, and the Louvre Museum, following her postgraduate studies at University College London.

 

Vana’s research covers a wide range of archaeological materials from prehistory to medieval times in Europe, the eastern Mediterranean, western and central Asia. She combines analytical techniques, such as elemental and isotopic analyses, with experimental and computational approaches to address key questions about the management of resources, the circulation of materials, and the human condition in the past.

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