In archaeology, the exploration of trade relationships holds great significance as it provides insights into the social, political, and economic aspects of past societies. Particularly, metals, which are not uniformly distributed geographically, were often sourced from distant locations. This necessitated a well-developed system of trade, organization, and long-distance contacts. These labour intensive investments, coupled with the high value and prestige associated with metals, led to the concentration of this valuable commodity in the hands of elites. The ability to compare a metal product with its ore source is therefore crucial for reconstructing key aspects of ancient society and economy. The origin of metals heavily relies on the application of geochemical and analytical techniques, accompanied by the establishment of a database of geological ore sources.
In our modern world, source identification is once again important, for example, to identify forgeries or trace origins back to illegal sources. This presentation focuses on metallic iron, but this form of provenance analysis can also be applied to other mediums, such as petroleum or non-ferrous metals.
