Susan C Ferrence | Institute for Aegean Prehistory (original) (raw)

Papers by Susan C Ferrence

Kleronomia: Legacy and Inheritance. Studies on the Aegean Bronze Age in Honor of Jeffrey S. Soles, 2022

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” Proceedings of the Fifth Festival of the Nuragic Civilization (Orroli, Cagliari), 2023

Proceedings of the 5th International Conference "Archaeometallurgy in Europe" 19-21 June 2019 Miskolc, Hungary, 2021

The cemetery of house tombs at Petras, which is under excavation by Metaxia Tsipopoulou, is a lar... more The cemetery of house tombs at Petras, which is under excavation by Metaxia Tsipopoulou, is a large
burial place associated with a Minoan palatial site in eastern Crete. The earliest evidence from the tombs
dates to the Early Bronze Age (EBA), and the cemetery reached its greatest size in Middle Minoan
(MM) II, during the Middle Bronze Age (MBA). The MBA house tombs consisted of several rooms
used for burial and other purposes. Most of the burials from this period are secondary deposits consisting
of disarticulated bones that were moved to this location from another place. The authors are publishing
the metal finds from this large cemetery.
Among the discoveries from the early part of the Middle Bronze Age are gold ornaments that were
moved to their final locations along with the bones they accompanied in the primary burials. The joining
of gold to gold was accomplished by Bronze Age metalsmiths in various ways: mechanically, by
soldering, and by diffusion bonding. The earliest identification of the technique seems to be from the
Troad in Anatolia during Early Bronze II. This method has been now documented for the first time in
Minoan Crete on a gold ring. On this same piece also a gold surface enrichment treatment has been
recognized.
The use of gold or silver to cover the heads of rivets on daggers found both in Crete and in the Shaft
Graves at Mycenae has been known for several years. This decorative technique, produced by diffusion
bonding, as well, has now been identified on riveted tweezers found in House Tomb 2 in the cemetery
at Petras.

Studies in Aegean Art and Culture: A New York Aegean Bronze Age Colloquium in Memory of Ellen N. Davis, 2016

Overturning Certainties in Near Eastern Archaeology: https://instappress.com/product/studies-in-aegean-art-and-culture-a-new-york-aegean-bronze-age-colloquium-in-memory-of-ellen-n-davis/, 2017

Bronze Age metallurgy on Mediterranean Islands by A. Giumlia-Mair and F. Lo Schiavo, 2018

In this paper the data on arsenic content of Minoan copper-based finds from various sites in Cret... more In this paper the data on arsenic content of Minoan copper-based finds from various sites in Crete, collected during a program of scientific analyses sponsored by the Institute for Aegean Prehistory, Philadelphia, are discussed. The analyses were carried out by X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy. The aim of this study is the investigation of the metallurgical habits and skills that can be reconstructed through the research on various Minoan sites in eastern Crete. The metal objects from Early Minoan (EM) IB (ca. 3000–2900 BCE) sites including Hagia Photia Siteias, Kephala Petras, and Livari Skiadi and from the Late Minoan (LM) I (ca. 1625-1450 BCE) settlements of Gournia and Mochlos (see also Soles and Giumlia-Mair in this volume) have been analyzed. In this paper we present the data on the use of arsenic as an alloying element in the copper-based finds from Crete in the different periods, and compare them with data from analyses of finds from other contexts, such as for instance Anatolia, various sites in the Near East, Armenia and Iran.

Petras, Siteia: The Pre- and Proto-palatial cemetery in context, 2017

A large corpus of metal objects comes from the Early Minoan [EM] I–Middle Minoan [MM] IIA cemeter... more A large corpus of metal objects comes from the Early Minoan [EM] I–Middle Minoan [MM] IIA cemetery of a Rock Shelter and house tombs. They have been analyzed with X-ray fuorescence in order to determine
their composition and give insight into the local metallurgical tradition, which showed signifcant activity in the area from the Final Neolithic. The artifacts mostly comprise jewellery pieces and small tools and weapons.
A range of alloys and techniques was used by the local artisans. The production methods and finishing processes of the artifacts allow us to clarify the steps in the fabrication of the pieces. The various classes of
objects are representative of diverse techniques and include a range of weapons, tools and objects of personal use.
Several copper-, gold- and silver-based alloys have been identifed. The gold pieces consist of small delicate bosses, sheets and strips that probably once surrounded wooden buttons and were attached to other organic materials. Cast pieces are also present. The silver alloys--which were used for decorative rivets on several copper-based objects, but also for pendants and bracelets--are particularly interesting, and show a distinctive and unusual composition. Several of the copper-based objects are miniature tools such as cosmetic scrapers that were equipped with holes so that they could be worn as pendants. Other copper/bronze objects include: a chisel, awls, tweezers, knife blades, fishhooks, pendants, bracelets, rivets, beads and strips.
These metal pieces provide important information about the people who were buried in the Rock Shelter and the house tombs. The jewellery and other items of personal adornment, together with the other tools,
display a relative level of affuence that was enjoyed by the local population, a level of prosperity that is further supported by the quality of the other categories of objects that came from the tombs. Furthermore,
the special alloys employed for certain types of objects reveal the sophisticated technical knowledge of the metal workshop that was employed by the inhabitants of Petras in the Early and Middle Bronze Age.

MATERIALS AND MANUFACTURING PROCESSES, 2020

This paper presents the results of X-ray fluorescence analysis carried out in the last years on s... more This paper presents the results of X-ray fluorescence analysis carried out in the last years on silver objects from three different Cretan Early Minoan cemeteries, Hagia Photia Siteias, Kephala Petras, and Livari Skiadi, dated to ca. 3000 to 2800 BC. The classes of objects discussed in this paper comprise mainly daggers and jewelry pieces; other kinds of items, however, can also be included as comparisons. For this project various groups of copper-alloy and silver-alloy artifacts from Hagia Photia, from the Petras rock shelter, and from Livari have been analyzed. The silver-based objects of this period can be distributed into two groups according to their composition: unalloyed silver and alloys of silver and copper or silver and arsenical copper. The analyses of the metal finds, both of silver and of arsenical copper, from the three sites indicate their appurtenance to the same metallurgical tradition, common to the areas around the Black Sea, Anatolia, and the Near East, with similar metallurgical practice, esthetic choices, and styles.

AEK 4 (2016) [2020], Vol A, pp 443-453, 2020

Krinoi kai Limenes: Studies in Honor of Joseph and Maria Shaw, 2007

Applied Surface Science, 2002

The metal objects from this Early to Middle Minoan cemetery, which is located on the eastern side... more The metal objects from this Early to Middle Minoan cemetery, which is located on the eastern side of the
Siteia Bay in eastern Crete, belong to various categories and types of metals. The gold pieces consist of
small delicate bosses, sheets, and strips that probably once surrounded wooden buttons and were attached
to other organic materials. A gold “Tree of Life” pendant was probably once the centerpiece of a necklace.
Gold pierced beads probably once belonged to larger bracelets and/or necklaces; one of them is shaped like
a flower and contains remnants of lapis lazuli. Several of the copper or bronze objects are miniature tools
such as cosmetic scrapers that were equipped with holes in order to be worn as pendants. At least one of
these small tools has part of the ivory handle still attached. Other copper/bronze objects include a chisel,
awls, tweezers, knife blades, fish hooks, pendants, bracelets, rivets, beads, and strips. The metal objects from
the Petras cemetery range in type and style and date from late EM I to MM IIB. They provide important
information about the people who were buried in the Rock Shelter and the house tombs. The jewelry
and other items of personal adornment, together with the other tools, display a relative level of affluence
that was enjoyed by the local population, a level of prosperity that is further supported by the quality of the
other categories of objects that came from the tombs.

The excavations of Bronze Age settlement sites in eastern Crete have yielded a large corpus of me... more The excavations of Bronze Age settlement sites in eastern Crete have yielded a large corpus of metal
objects. These habitation contexts tend to date to the Late Bronze Age (ca. 1600–1100 BC). The artifacts
are mostly comprised of small toiletry items, small weapons such as daggers and knives, and tools for
utilitarian purposes such as axes, chisels, vessels, hooks, needles, and knives. A minority of the excavated
pieces has been scientifically analyzed using a range of methods such as Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy
(LIBS), energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (ED XRF), X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometry,
and Lead Isotope (LI) analysis. These techniques assist in determining elemental composition and give
insight into local metallurgical traditions, which were significantly active since the Final Neolithic period in
eastern Crete. Patterns emerge when comparing the results of various scientific analyses among many
different types of metal objects and between different sites.