Recently, our understanding of metals and metallurgy in the Early Bronze Age Aegean has been dominated by studies which focus on the circulation and provenance of metals. Over the last decade the study of early metallurgy in the Aegean has witnessed dramatic developments with ever earlier and more detailed evidence for metal production being discovered in the field. Paralleling these field studies are a wealth of new laboratory analyses relating to the material aspects of metal production. This diverse new data when coupled with recent theoretical approaches now allow for significant shifts in our understanding of this important aspect of Aegean prehistory. Since few studies of metallurgy have extended beyond typological analysis of artefacts, the circulation of raw materials and the detailing of technical processes, metallurgy in the Aegean Early Bronze Age was made a subject of discussion at the Sheffield Centre for Aegean Archaeology's Round Table. This volume contains fifteen papers which address aspects of mining smelting and artefact production from a range of theoretical perspectives. It represents the first publication of many of the key details from numerous newly discovered sites. Contributors include Yannis Bassiakos, Phillip Betancourt, Mihalis Catapotis, Peter M. Day, Nota Dimopoulou-Rethemiotaki, Roger Doonan, Myrto Georgakopoulou, Jim Muhly, Georgia Nakou, Olga Philaniotou-Hadjianastasiou, Sue Sherratt, Metaxia Tsipopoulou, Yiannis Papadatos and David E. Wilson.

The diverse forms of regional connectivity in the ancient world have recently become an important focus for those interested in the deep history of globalisation. This volume represents a significant contribution to this new trend as it engages thematically with a wide range of connectivities in the later prehistory of the Mediterranean, from the later Neolithic of northern Greece to the Levantine Iron Age, and with diverse forms of materiality, from pottery and metal to stone and glass. With theoretical overviews from leading thinkers in prehistoric mobilities, and commentaries from top specialists in neighbouring domains, the volume integrates detailed case studies within a comparative framework. The result is a thorough treatment of many of the key issues of regional interaction and technological diversity facing archaeologists working across diverse places and periods. As this book presents key case studies for human and technological mobility across the eastern Mediterranean in later prehistory, it will be of interest primarily to Mediterranean archaeologists, though also to historians and anthropologists.

When reconstructing the past, the archaeologist needs to take into account all kinds of relevant information. Where no written sources are available, the natural sciences play an indispensable role. Troia is a remarkable site in this respect. The present excavation project at Troia, under the directorship of Manfred Korfmann, integrates various disciplines including geoarchaeology, archaeobotany, zooarchaeology, anthropology, geophysical prospection as well as chemical and technological studies of metal, stone and pottery. Hardly any other archaeological project is supported so intensely and on such a broad scale by archaeometric investigations as the international research group in Troia. In April 2001 an International Symposium was held in Heidelberg, Germany, with the aim of promoting scientific discussion and providing synopses of the various disciplines engaged in Troia. This volume contains most of the contributions presented at the symposium. Due to its broad natural scientific as well as its cultural-historic scope, not only will the specialist but also the interested layman find the book rewarding.

Prof. James D. Muhly has enjoyed a distinguished career in the study of ancient history, archaeology, and metallurgy that includes an emeritus professorship at the University of Pennsylvania and a term as director of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens as well as receiving the Archaeological Institute of America's Pomerance Award for Scientific Contributions to Archaeology. In Muhly's honor, a total of 38 eminent scholars have contributed 30 articles that include topics on Bronze and Iron Age metallurgy around the Eastern Mediterranean in such places as Crete, the Cyclades, Cyprus, and Turkey.

The Rise of Metallurgy in Eurasia is a landmark study in the evolution of early metallurgy in the Balkans. It demonstrates that far from being a rare and elite practice, the earliest metallurgy in the world was a common and communal craft activity.