The missing link?
Short description
This project aims to investigate the role of Sardinia in the metal trade between Scandinavia, Atlantic Europe and the Mediterranean during the Bronze Age. Recent analyses on bronze finds from Scandinavia provided a relevant idea of the complexity of the European Bronze Age metal trade.
The discovery of Sardinian copper in several artefacts was a highly unexpected result, questioning earlier thoughts about maritime networks and the role of the western Mediterranean as a metal producing region. The purpose of this project is to fill major gaps in our knowledge of how metal trade and exchanges unfolded between Atlantic Europe and the Mediterranean by assessing the role of Sardinian maritime enterprises. Using an interdisciplinary approach, we seek to prove that strategically positioned Sardinia may have dominated sea-borne routes in the long-distance maritime metal trade.
To do that the team will:
- Review old and new archaeological and archaeometallurgical data to attempt drawing maritime exchange routes.
- Create a much needed and fine-tuned picture of the isotopic and geochemical fields of Sardinian ores to be able to identify with higher security metal of Sardinian origin.
- Carry out field surveys to identify yet unknown traces of ancient mining in Sardinia.
- By using appropriate theoretical frameworks, address access to maritime modes of production and metallurgical technologies as a mean to control resource exploitation and consumption patterns.
Scientific work
The years 2012- 2022
A considerable part of the planned research was critically delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic, which affected the possibility to carry out the fundamental field surveys and sample collections. During 2021 we were forced to avoid travelling to Sardinia and to focus on the review existing archaeological and archaeo-metallurgical data. The work is almost completed and is expected to be published in 2024.
In 2022 we could finally organize the first fieldwork season in southwestern Sardinia. The focus of our survey was the collection of geological samples to create a much needed and fine-tuned picture of the isotopic and geochemical fields of Sardinian ores to be able to identify with higher security metal of Sardinian origin.
The survey took place in well-known minerary districts of Sardinian, which have been in use also in modern time, but are now abandoned. Despite the intense modern use, we have been able to successfully collect relevant mineral samples; on the other hand, the dense Mediterranean vegetation that is today covering most of the surveyed areas represents a major challenge as to the possibility of finding traces of ancient mining.
The year 2023
The third year has been an intense year. A second set of surveys was carried out enlarging considerably the numbers of areas for which we will be able to provide an in-depth knowledge of the isotopic and geochemical fingerprint.
In 2023 we also got the permission to sample bronze artefacts from the National Museum at Cagliari (https://museoarcheocagliari.beniculturali.it/). The isotopic and geochemical data from the analyses of those artefacts represent a very important milestone. It is crucial to increase our understanding of the local metallurgy and to add solid reference data onto which contrast already known evidence. As to sampling, we also had the possibility to include in our dataset samples from the oxhide ingot preserved in the Marian Museum in Corsica (https://www.musee-mariana.com/). Such ingot has been discussed in several articles as a possible sign of trade from Sardinia towards France. The results of the analyses will hopefully add to our understanding of this topic.
Gothenburg, Sweden 17/06/2021
“Tracing ancient mining in modern landscapes of the Mediterranean” digital conference, where scholars from Sweden, Spain, Cyprus, USA and Italy participated presenting ongoing projects in the Iberian Peninsula, Cyprus and Sardinia.
Full program as pdf: “Tracing ancient mining in modern landscapes of the Mediterranean”
Villanovaforru/Orroli/Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy 28/09-02/10/2023
"New approaches to unveil the role of Sardinia in the Bronze Age metal trade from Scandinavia to the Levant”.
The conference was made possible thanks to the generous support of RJ Research Initiation 2022. Scholars from the University of Gothenburg and affiliated collaborators working with the archaeometallurgy of the western Mediterranean, a research team from Århus University, Denmark, and Italian scholars could meet and discuss current state of the Bronze Age research in Sardinia and possible future collaboration.
Full program as pdf: "New approaches to unveil the role of Sardinia in the Bronze Age metal trade from Scandinavia to the Levant”
- Chicago, USA 18/11/2023 Paper: Between East and West: The Role of Nuragic Sardinia in the Late Bronze Age Metal Trade (S. Sabatini) at the ASOR Annual Meeting.
- Villanovaforru, Italy 28/09-02/10/2023 Paper: 40 years of lead isotope analyses in Sardinia and the Missing link project (S. Sabatini and Z. Stos-Gale) at the ‘New approaches to unveil the role of Sardinia in the Bronze Age metal trade from Scandinavia to the Levant’ International workshop.
- Orroli, Italy 28/09-02/10/2023 Paper: The ‘Sardinian metals in West Sweden?’ project (S. Sabatini, M. Blank, L. Nordvall, and Z. Stos-Gale) at the ‘New approaches to unveil the role of Sardinia in the Bronze Age metal trade from Scandinavia to the Levant’ International workshop.
- Belfast, UK, 30/08-02/09/2023 Paper: Oxhide Ingots in the Central Mediterranean: Innovation, Adaptation, and Resilience (S. Sabatini) at the 29th EAA Annual Meeting.
- Göteborg, Sweden 08/05/2023 Paper: Sardinia, Vulci and Italy before Rome, discussing three different and yet intertwined projects (S. Sabatini) at the Classical Archaeology and Ancient History at Gothenburg University seminar series.
- Kiel, Germany, 13-17/03/2023 Paper: Considerations about the role of Nuragic Sardinia in the European Late Bronze Age metal trade (S. Sabatini) at the ‘Scales of Social, Environmental and Cultural Change in Past Societies’ Conference.
- Orroli, Italy 10/09/2021 Paper: The missing link? Sardinia and the Bronze Age Metal Trade between Scandinavia, Atlantic Europe and the Mediterranean (S. Sabatini and K. Kristiansen) at the V Festival of Nuragic Civilization.
- Göteborg, Sweden 17/06/2021 Paper: The Missing Link/Sardinia project, scopes, and challenges (S. Sabatini, Z. Stos-Gale, F. Lo Schiavo) at the ‘Tracing ancient mining in modern landscapes of the Mediterranean’ International workshop.
Sabatini, S., Kristiansen, K. 2023. The missing link: Re-theorising the role of Sardinia in a global political economy between the Mediterranean and Atlantic Europe. In Perra, M., Lo Schiavo, F. (eds.) Contacts and exchanges between Sardinia, Continental Italy and the North-Western Europe in the Bronze Age (18th-11th c. BC): the “Copper Route”, the “Amber Route”, the “Tin Route”. Cagliari: Arkadia, 47-66.
Sabatini, S., forthcoming: Oxhide ingots and the Late Bronze Age metal trade in Europe and the Mediterranean. In Kerig, T., Hillpert, J. (eds.), Big Exchange : Inequalities in supra-regional Exchange Networks. ROOTS studies. Leiden : Sidestone Press.
Science outreach
The members of the Missing Link are being featured in a documentary film for the Franco-German channel ARTE (director: Thomas Marlier, in collaboration with Michela Guberti, writer and producer at Gedeon programmes). In the documentary, significant space will be given to our research on Bronze Age metallurgy in Sardinia.
The project team (Serena Sabatini, Zofia Stos-Gale and Malou Blank) has been greatly supported by the project Advisory Board, we are therefore very grateful to Fulvia Lo Schiavo, Kristian Kristiansen, Timothy Earle, and Johan Ling.
Since the beginning we have been also receiving the kind scientific support of Prof. Paolo Valera, University of Cagliari as to the geology of the Sardinia and of Dr. Mauro Perra, as to the study of the archaeology of Bronze Age Sardinia.
The 2023 workshop was possible thanks to the generous collaboration of
Dr. Giacomo Paglietti and the Villanovaforru Museum , the Nuraghe Arrubiu Visitor Centre , the Zu Zurfuru Mine Cultural Association, and the National Museum of Cagliari.
The sample collection from artefacts was possible thanks to the kind support of Dr. Francesco Muscolino at the National Museum of Cagliari,and of Ophelie Deperetti and Jeanne Belgodere at the Mariana Museum ; we are also grateful to Kewin Peche-Quilichini.
Sardinian metal in West Sweden?
While trapped by the Covid-19 travel restrictions, the project members initiated together with Linn Nordvall (PhD student at the Department of Historical Studies in Gothenburg) a follow-up project, aiming at investigating the provenance of the metal used in Bronze Age West Sweden. Ground-breaking studies have recently demonstrated that most of the copper used in Scandinavia during the Bronze Age was imported from Atlantic and southern Europe.
Some of the analyses performed in recent years showed that copper of Sardinian origin was used in Halland; however, the origin of the copper used in West-Sweden remains largely unexplored.
Thanks to the generous support of the Adlerbetska and Lennart J. Hägglund Foundation the new project aims to fill the gap and possibly shed a renewed light on the possible relation between this part of the continent and Sardinia.
Photos of the metal used in Bronze Age West Sweden.
- A flanged axe from Flakeberg, Västergötland from Statens Historiska Museet i Stockholm.
- A bronze collar from Vilske-Kleva, Västergötland from Falbygdens Museum.
- A razor, tweezers and an awl from a Bronze Age grave in Halland. Stiftelsen Hallands länsmuseer.
