SYNCHRONIZATION OF TECHNICAL DATA OF LATE BRONZE-EARLY IRON AGE TIN BRONZE MATERIALS

MARIAM MCHEDLISHVILI; NINO KEBULADZE; ANA SAKHVADZE

MARIAM MCHEDLISHVILI PhD, Chief restorer, Georgian National Museum 3, Rustaveli Avenue, 0105 Tbilisi, Georgia http://orcid.org/0009-0003-8317-7679
NINO KEBULADZE Doctor of History, Head of Laboratory, Georgian National Museum, 3, Rustaveli Avenue, 0105 Tbilisi, Georgia http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1924-4203
ANA SAKHVADZE PhD, Curator. Georgian National Museum 3, Rustaveli Avenue, 0105 Tbilisi, Georgia http://orcid.org/0009-0002-7243-1611

Abstract

International scholarly interest in the study of ancient metal production in Georgia is extremely high. However, analytical results obtained during research conducted in the twentieth century—based on samples taken from objects prior to restoration and subsequently examined through spectral or chemical methods—remain insufficiently known within the contemporary international academic community. For several objective reasons, access to these data has been limited, which creates significant challenges for research in this field. The lack of accessibility to previously obtained, highly informative data slows the research process and often results in incomplete investigations. These earlier datasets have gained even greater importance today, given the increasing difficulty—and sometimes the impossibility—of conducting technical analyses directly on the primary objects of study, namely museum artifacts.

The present study examines the correlation of technical research data derived from materials discovered during relatively recent excavations of the Late Bronze–Early Iron Age, particularly from the Dolosha burial ground in the mountainous region, and materials uncovered during twentieth-century archaeological investigations of contemporaneous sites. These include Ude in southern Georgia, as well as Zeniti, Erge, Ekalauri, Sakhalvasho, Khikhadziri, Pushrukauli, and other sites in western Georgia.

The analytical results show significant variation in tin content within bronze alloys. Bronze objects from the Dolosha burial ground contain particularly high levels of tin, ranging from 10% to 40%. In the Ude hoard, tin content ranges between 2.1% and 12.8%, while chemically analyzed Colchian bronze artifacts show tin concentrations from 2% to 15%.

The results indicate the predominance of tin-based alloys and suggest a considerable degree of stability and standardization in metallurgical practices across different regions of Georgia during the Late Bronze–Early Iron Age. The study identifies chronological correlations as well as technological similarities and regional differences, contributing to the reconstruction of metallurgical strategies of the period.

Keywords: Caucasus, tin bronze, Late bronze-Early Iron Age, spectral analyses.