Copper and Copper Alloys in the Southeastern Alps: An Overview*

In recent years, several groups of archaeological metal finds from the areas around the southeastern Alps, dated between Bronze Age and Roman times, have been scientifically analysed (by ICP, AAS and/or XRF) within the framework of different projects. The data now available give a fairly good general picture of the evolution and development of metallurgy in this area and seem to indicate that the region played an important role in the exchange of objects and raw materials over many centuries. The significance of some of the metal finds, which are particularly relevant for this research, is discussed.