South African Archaeological Copper Provenance Study

We seek permission to sample copper objects from archaeological sites in South Africa and analyze them using lead isotopic and trace elemental analyses to identify their copper source, and traditional metallography and x-ray fluorescence methods to understand their production technology. These data will expand our existing database of copper objects from Zimbabwe, Botswana, Zambia, the DRC, and Malawi, and help understand the role of South African sites within this interaction network.