THERMOLUMINESCENCE DATING OF A CRUCIBLE FRAGMENT FROM AN EARLY TIN PROCESSING SITE IN TURKEY

Archaeological exploration in the Taurus mountains at Göltepe in south-central Turkey has uncovered a site indicating the presence of extensive tin ore mining and smelling operations The most recent find of smelting crucible fragments allowed for a thermoluminescence-hased age determination spanning a late fifth to early third millennium BC date. This result is consistent with a number of radiocarbon dates derived for charcoal also found at the site. The importance of this site relates to the possible tin production and subsequent trade with southwestern Asia which would have provided this otherwise scarce ingredient to bronze technology in that area. This date is directly for crucible material and thus confirms the antiquity of tin smelting at Göltepe.