Abstrakt
Early copper metallurgy in the western part of the Carpathians is insufficiently documented from a technological point of view. The Early Chalcolithic copper hoard of Beckov - "Zbojnícky vrch" (ca. 4100-3900 BC) suddenly becomes visible in the eyes of archaeologists as a selective prototype of an individual's personal equipment and speaks to the autonomous and distinctive development of metallurgy of the Ludanice group in western Slovakia.
The standardized inventory replicates the composition of the White Carpathian hoard of Slavkov, thus displaying a strict syntax in the expression of male identity through material objects, and indicating that their owners formed a coherent social group characterized by a common identity, behavior and lifestyle. The spectrometric signals presented here add new insight into the understanding of early systems of copper acquisition, distribution and consumption, which increasingly require renewed attention, this time with the help of the latest archaeometric techniques and knowledge.
The variable composition of the artefacts and the apparent failure to exploit the hardening potential of As underline the early character of this Sb-copper-based metallurgy, which appears to have satisfied consumers needs during the late 5th millennium BC.