Prehistoric Mining and Metallurgy at the Southeast Bulgarian Black Sea Coast

Abstract

This volume presents the results of research on pre-industrial mining in the region along the south-eastern Bulgarian Black Sea coast. During rescue excavations some prehistoric settlements with traces of early of copper processing were uncovered. This initiated a thorough investigation of the copper ore deposits of Burgas, Rosen and Medni Rid that were mined until recently. Their archaeometallurgical investigation was a project of the Tübingen SFB 1070 ResourceCultures. The research results include an overview of the archaeological research along the southern Bulgarian coastal zone of the Black Sea and the now flooded sites in its shore area. The timeframe ranges from the earliest use of metals in the 5th millennium BC to the period of the ‘Greek Colonisation’ and later.