US EditionHow Britain's long-distance tin trade transformed the Bronze Age
- Researchers have shown that around 1300 BC, tin extracted from Cornwall and Devon was transported extensively throughout Europe and the Mediterranean region, as evidenced by tin ingots found in ancient shipwrecks near Israel and France.
- This long-distance trade developed because Bronze Age societies needed tin to create bronze, which is about 90% copper and 10% tin and was essential for tools and weapons.
- Scientific analysis using trace elements and isotope ratios linked the tin ingots to the geological signatures of southwest Britain, particularly Cornwall and Devon, rather than Central Asian sources.
- The journey of tin from the trading island called Ictis in southwest Britain to the Mediterranean coast took approximately 30 days and covered about 4,000 kilometers, passing through France and flourishing trade networks around Sardinia and Cyprus.
- These findings confirm a large-scale pan-continental tin trade that reshapes understanding of Britain's key role in Bronze Age metallurgy and supports the idea that British tin enabled the transition to bronze in ancient Mediterranean civilizations.
22 Articles
22 Articles
New York Post
JingletreeLate Bronze Age settlement dating back 3,000 years uncovered amid road work: ‘Important discovery’
An ancient Bronze Age settlement was recently uncovered by archaeologists in the United Kingdom while a highway was being built.
Late Bronze Age settlement dating back 3,000 years uncovered amid road work: 'Important discovery'
Amid highway construction, archaeologists uncovered a 3,000-year-old Late Bronze Age settlement and cremation cemetery, as announced by the Suffolk City Council in the United Kingdom.
Southwest Britain Supplied Tin That Gave Rise to the Mediterranean Bronze Age - Archaeology Magazine
Sampled tin artifacts CORNWALL, ENGLAND—The emergence of bronze and the onset of the Mediterranean Bronze Age is one of the most pivotal events in history, as it coincided with the rise of new advanced civilizations. Yet to make bronze, which is an amalgam of both tin and copper, one needed tin, which was not readily available in the region. Experts have long argued about who exactly supplied all the tin. According to a statement released by Dur…
Mycenaeans Acquired Cornish Tin via Vast Trade Network Reaching Britain 3,300 Years Ago
Salcombe ingots (Bronze Age), British Museum. Credit: Williams / CC BY 4.0 A major study has traced the roots of a long-standing mystery in ancient history: where did Bronze Age societies like the Mycenaeans in the eastern Mediterranean acquire the Cornish tin needed to make bronze? Around 1300 B.C., civilizations across the region began using bronze more widely for weapons, tools, and jewelry. While these cultures had already used small amounts…
Bronze-age Britain traded tin with the Mediterranean, shows new study – settling a two-century debate
Bronze age tin ingot from Salcombe, England. Benjamin Roberts / Alan WilliamsTin was the critical mineral of the ancient world. It was essential to alloy with copper to make bronze, which for many centuries was the preferred metal for tools and weapons. Yet sources of tin are very scarce – and were especially so for the rapidly growing bronze age towns, cities and states around the eastern Mediterranean. Though major tin deposits are found in we…
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