Around 1300 BC, civilizations in the Eastern Mediterranean experienced a significant cultural and technological advancement with the increased use of bronze for weapons, tools, and jewelry. Although the Mycenaeans and Egyptians had used small amounts of metal before, bronze became much more prevalent. But, you might wonder—how did they achieve this?
Most bronze consists of copper-tin alloys. Copper was readily accessible in ancient times, but tin is a rare resource, and there aren’t any large deposits nearby. This creates a puzzling issue for archaeologists, referred to as the “tin problem.” How did Bronze Age societies in the Mediterranean procure tin for their bronze?
Researchers, led by a group of British archaeologists, believe they’ve cracked the case. By analyzing ores and artifacts across Europe, they’ve found that tin sourced from the abundant sediments of Cornwall and Devon was traded widely in the Mediterranean over 3,000 years ago.
Dr. Benjamin Roberts, an associate professor of archaeology at Durham University, remarks, “This is the first British product to be exported to the entire continent.” He highlights that identifying these trade networks is “fundamentally transforming” the understanding of Britain’s role in the Bronze Age globally.
Interestingly, the scale and frequency of this tin trade appear to be much larger than previously thought, necessitating a fresh perspective on the achievements of Bronze Age miners and merchants.
This study, a first of its kind, conducted trace element, lead isotopic, and tin element analyses on tin ingots salvaged from a Bronze Age shipwreck in the Mediterranean, including three that sank off the coast of Israel. They also examined mineral samples and ancient tin artifacts from southwestern England and other parts of Europe.
By comparing the findings, the researchers concluded that Cornish tin was not only widespread in the Eastern Mediterranean but that “the entire chain of interconnected communities was engaged in extensive trade,” Roberts explains. This included routes via the rivers of France, through Sardinia, along the Mediterranean islands, and up to the Israeli coast.
The tin deposits in Cornwall and Devon are among the largest and most accessible globally, paving the way for extensive mining later on. While the Greek writer Pitheas mentioned the tin trade in Cornwall during the Iron Age, many experts doubted that the early Bronze Age inhabitants of Britain—a small agricultural community without towns or writing—could form a sophisticated trade network with Mediterranean societies, according to Roberts.
Cornish tin wasn’t the only source at the time, but “we believe it is the richest, easiest, and most accessible,” states Alan Williams, an honorary fellow in archaeology at Durham University.
Williams expressed his long-standing interest in studying Cornish tin’s role in the Bronze Age, having been a student geologist at one of the county’s last working tin mines 50 years ago. There are plans for him to join Roberts in an archaeological dig at St. Michael’s Mount in Cornwall, which they consider to be a crucial center for Bronze Age tin smelting and the heart of the Tin Trading Network.
