Balkan Mining in the Chalcolithic Age: Technology, Production, and Autochthonous Development

Öz

Mining activities were pivotal in the socio-economic evolution of prehistoric societies. Western Eurasia’s early metallurgical innovations developed across six primary centers rich in surface copper deposits: Anatolia, Iran, the Levant, the Caucasus, Iberia, and the Balkans. Among these, the Balkans occupy a central position in current archaeometallurgical debates. Archaeological evidence supports the region as one of the world’s earliest sites for extractive metallurgy. This study investigates the history of Balkan mining from the Neolithic to the end of the Chalcolithic period (c. 6200-3700 BC). It specifically examines mining origins and technological developments at key sites such as Rudna Glava, Aibunar, and Belovode. Furthermore, the article analyzes extraction techniques, the emergence of mining as a specialized profession, and the socio-economic position of miners. It also evaluates the findings within the framework of current debates between diffusionist and autochthonous development models. By synthesizing field archaeology results with laboratory-based archaeometallurgical data, the research offers a comprehensive analysis of the Balkan contribution to early metallurgy and its social implications.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Archaeometallurgy
• Balkans
• Chalcolithic Age
• Copper Mining
• Rudna Glava

Etik Beyan

During the writing process of the study “Balkan Mining in the Chalcolithic Age: Technology, Production, and Autochthonous Development” scientific rules, ethical and citation rules were followed. No falsification was made on the collected data and this study was not sent to any other academic publication medium for evaluation. Ethics Committee Permission is not required. Statement of Contribution Rate of Researchers: The contribution rates of the authors in the study are equal. Declaration of Conflict: There is no potential conflict of interest in the study. Funding: No funding was received from any institution or organization for this study. Statement of Use for Artificial Intelligence and Its Types: Artificial intelligence and its various types were not used in the writing of this article. Data Sharing Statement: We declare that, upon reasonable request for the purpose of verifying the findings, we can share the data of this study according to the conditions specified in the relevant section of the "ethical principles and publication policy".

Kalkolitik Çağ’da Balkan Madenciliği: Teknoloji, Üretim ve Otokton Gelişim

Öz

Madencilik faaliyetleri, tarih öncesi toplumların sosyo-ekonomik evriminde başat bir rol oynamıştır. Batı Avrasya’da erken metalürjik icat ve yeniliklerin; Anadolu, İran, Levant, Kafkasya, İberya ve Balkanlar olmak üzere bakır yatakları açısından zengin toplam altı ana merkezde geliştiği genel kabul görmektedir. Mevcut arkeometalürji kanıtları, cevherden metal elde etme süreci olan ekstraktif metalürjinin dünyadaki en erken başlangıç noktalarından birinin Balkanlar olduğunu güçlü bir şekilde desteklemektedir. Bu çalışma, Neolitik Çağ’ın başından Kalkolitik Çağ’ın sonuna kadar (MÖ yaklaşık 6200-3700) Sırbistan, Bulgaristan ve Romanya merkezli geniş bir coğrafyaya yayılan Balkan madenciliğinin gelişim sürecini ele almaktadır. Makale kapsamında; Balkan madenciliğinin kökeni Rudna Glava, Aibunar ve Belovode gibi kilit merkezler üzerinden derinlemesine incelenmekte; madenlerdeki üretim teknikleri, uzmanlaşmış madencilik mesleğinin ortaya çıkışı ve bu meslek grubunun toplum içindeki sosyo-ekonomik konumu analiz edilmektedir. Ayrıca, bölgedeki teknolojik dönüşüm verileri difüzyon ve otokton gelişim modelleri çerçevesinde değerlendirilmektedir. Çalışma, arkeolojik saha bulguları ile laboratuvar ortamındaki arkeometalürjik verilerin disiplinlerarası bir sentezine dayanarak Balkanlar’ın dünya metalürji tarihine olan katkısını ortaya koymayı amaçlamaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Arkeometalürji
• Balkanlar
• Kalkolitik Çağ
• Bakır Madenciliği
• Rudna Glava

Etik Beyan

“Kalkolitik Çağ’da Balkan Madenciliği: Teknoloji, Üretim ve Otokton Gelişim” başlıklı çalışmanın yazım sürecinde bilimsel kurallara, etik ve alıntı kurallarına uyulmuş; toplanan veriler üzerinde herhangi bir tahrifat yapılmamış ve bu çalışma herhangi başka bir akademik yayın ortamına değerlendirme için gönderilmemiştir. Bu araştırma da etik kurul kararı zorunluluğu bulunmamaktadır. Araştırmacıların Katkı Oranı Beyanı: Yazarların çalışmadaki katkı oranları eşittir. Çatışma Beyanı: Çalışmada herhangi bir potansiyel çıkar çatışması söz konusu değildir. Finansman: Bu çalışma için herhangi bir kurum veya kuruluştan destek alınmamıştır. Yapay Zeka ve Türleri Kullanım Beyanı: Bu makalenin yazımında yapay zeka ve türleri kullanılmamıştır. Veri Paylaşım Beyanı: Bu çalışmanın verilerini bulguların doğrulanması amacıyla makul bir talep üzerine “etik ilkeler ve yayın politikası”nın ilgili kısmında belirtilen şartlara göre paylaşabileceğimizi beyan ederiz.

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