Village Full of Copper Deposits? Here’s Why It Was a Vital Trade Center During Late Bronze Age

Excavations conducted by researchers from the University of Gothenburg show that Hala Sultan Tekke, a Cypriot village, played a vital role during the late Bronze Age. More specifically, they found out that its abundant copper reserves made it one of the most important trade centers during this era.

Copper Deposits in Hala Sultan Tekke

SciTechDaily reports that Peter Fischer, an emeritus professor from the University's Department of Historical Studies who led the excavations, says that they have discovered large amounts of imported pottery in the area.

On top of this, they also found luxurious items made of silver, ivory, gold, and other semi-precious stones. This demonstrates that copper was a high-demand trade commodity.

This was discovered during the Swedish Cyprus Expedition, which is a research project that started in 1927 that aims to map out the archaeological heritage of the island. The most recent one was conducted at Hala Sultan Tekke. It revealed that the city had a span of at least 25 hectares, with 14 comprising its center.

Fischer notes that their excavations and investigations reveal that the area was much larger than previously thought. Back then, settlements within the area only spanned fewer hectares.

Cyprus Was a Bigtime Copper Producer

Cyprus was the largest producer of copper across the Mediterranean during the Bronze Age. Copper served as the basis for bronze production, which was used for jewelry, weapons, and tools before they started using iron.

Mining reports that remains of the city revealed great production of copper that came in the forms of slag, molds, and smelting furnaces. Workshops produced much soot and were situated to the north so that the winds from the south would blow the stench and soot away.

The ore from which copper was extracted was transported to the city from nearby mines.

At present, such a type of production would not be possible, as it generates arsenic, cadmium, and lead waste products. However, back then, people were unaware of the dangers of such procedures.

International Trade Center

Because of Cyprus' central location and well-protected harbor, it fostered good conditions for trade in the Cypriot village. Scientists have discovered several important goods, such as jewelry and pottery, from places such as present-day Greece, Egypt, Turkey, the Middle East, and even Sardinia, the Baltic Sea region, India, and Afghanistan.

This demonstrates that the area played a huge role in international trade and was one of the biggest trade hubs from 1500 to 1150 B.C.

As per Mining, trade flourished for nearly five centuries. However, like several other flourishing civilizations in the Mediterranean during the Bronze Age, the Hala Sultan Tekke fell apart after 1200 B.C. Experts think that this was due to the invasion of "Sea Peoples," which led to the destruction of civilizations and the end of the Bronze Age.

There may have been other reasons, however, behind the downfall. These include famine, revolutions, wars, epidemics, and climate deterioration.

The study was published in the Science Reports journal.

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