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This study provides a comprehensive review of the current state of the art in marine technology as it pertains to the 3D documentation of underwater archaeological and historical sites. A thorough literature analysis of recent research is presented, with a special emphasis on vision-based approaches for 3D reconstruction and mapping. First, the paper lists different robotic platforms, various underwater imaging systems and possible combinations among them, through their use in marine archaeological research. In addition to robotic vision systems configurations, a thorough survey on computer vision solutions on image processing, online and offline reconstructions, for both simulation environments and real-world UCH scenarios, is given. The final part of the paper reviews strategies for data acquisition optimization through path planning approaches and highlights how working on synthetic data and simulation environments can enhance the quality of real-world operations. Finally, weaknesses, open issues, and future directions of research in marine robotic vision systems within the documentation of UCH are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Past human activities can be reflected in the elemental composition of contemporary soils. The paper is tackling the problem whether it is possible to distinguish prehistoric residential and ritual activities based on the elemental composition of soils. Specifically, the paper is addressing the question of whether Neolithic long barrows were built near habitation zones. An extensive set of 1085 soil samples was used, collected from four barrow sites of the Funnel Beaker Culture in the Czech Republic (and a prehistoric settlement as a reference site). Their elemental composition showed significant differences in the amount of P (phosphorus) and other anthropogenic elements (Ca, Cu, Mn, Zn) between the prehistoric habitation zone and the sites of long barrows. This difference was detected both in the A horizon (ploughed) and B horizon (sub-soil), thus, the additional conclusion of this study is that the ploughed A horizon, which is typically neglected by archaeologists, may also contain information about prehistoric land-use. The results of the geochemical analysis were confirmed by magnetometric surveys, recording, on the one hand, the absence of residential features in the vicinity of the barrows and, on the other hand, showing the presence of later funerary/ritual features. It was possible to conclude that the investigated barrows were built from local materials and that there were no human activities related to the accumulation of ash and waste in their surroundings at the time of construction, use or abandonment, which suggests that they were built in separation from Neolithic habitation zones. They continued to influence land-use and the perception of the landscape for thousands of years. [Display omitted] • Late Neolithic Barrows were built on the margins of settlement zones. • Barrows were respected as ritual areas for thousands of years. • Prehistoric habitation zone was characterized by accumulation of P, Ca, Cu, Zn, and Mn. • The arable soil preserves prehistoric chemical signatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding exposure of pottery vessels to fire is an important question in the agenda of researchers studying how prehistoric pottery was used to prepare food and the reasons leading to its widespread adoption across the world. In the case lipid residues from cooking, making sense of the range of biochemical compounds synthesised by the application of significant amounts of heat (i.e > 100 °C) to lipid residues can reveal different use patterns in the repertoires of the earliest pottery productions. While knowledge about the thermal degradation of fats in archaeological pottery has been available since the mid-nineties, this paper presents and describes two previously unreported biomarkers detected during ongoing research on the earliest Mediterranean farming societies: the ketonic decarboxylation of saturated fatty acids and dicarboxylic acids resulting in very long chain oxo fatty acids, and, the cyclisation of monounsaturated fatty acids yielding ω-(2-alkylcyclopentyl)alkanoic acids. Therefore, combining experimentation with the analysis of several sets of Neolithic pottery, this paper aims at updating the available data on the range of known biomarkers for lipid thermal alteration by characterising said unreported compounds and facilitating their detection in further studies. • Experiments demonstrate and validate the formation of several known and previously unreported lipid heating biomarkers. • A series of very long chain oxo fatty acids could point at heating in vessels with long use lives or after periods of unuse. • ω-(2-alkylcyclopentyl)alkanoic acids (ACPAAs) formed from monounsaturated fatty acids can improve the detection of heating in products with low amounts of polyunsaturated fats. • Studies from several Neolithic sites across the Mediterranean stress the ubiquity of these new heating biomarkers in archaeological pottery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence of fire is one of the most important features for identifying and characterizing destruction events. Analysis of microscopic remains of fire has developed exceedingly in recent years, enabling archaeologists to examine new questions relating to the intensity of destruction events and to the circumstances of the creation of destruction layers. One of the most crucial events in the history of the Southern Levant is the Babylonian destruction of Judah and its capital Jerusalem in 586 BCE, which shaped the biblical narrative and theology for generations to come. Building 100 was an extraordinarily large and rich elite building, thoroughly destroyed during the Babylonian campaign. This paper presents a study of the destruction layer excavated within the rooms of the building. FTIR spectrometry and archaeomagnetic analysis were combined in the micro-archaeological study of the remains in order to create a detailed reconstruction of the destruction event. This reconstruction sheds new light on how the Babylonian destruction was manifested in reality in the elite buildings of Jerusalem. • The paper reports the study of the destruction process of an elite building during the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem. • FTIR spectroscopy and Archaeomagnetism were combined to reconstruct the fire event. • Evidence of widespread fire throughout the structure suggests deliberate burning. • Detailed reconstruction shows lower exposure to heat in parts of the structure. • Criteria of FTIR spectroscopy signals for heating to low temperatures were identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The discovery of a set of beads, comprising both Sicilian amber and resin-coated beads in the Middle Bronze Age burial site of Cova del Gegant (Sitges, Barcelona, Spain), has sparked inquiries into whether the coating was intended for imitation or counterfeiting of amber. We assert that human-made materials, such as bead coatings, are intentionally conceived, designed, and crafted to fulfill specific functions. Thus, for an object to effectively fulfill its intended purpose, it must meet particular performance criteria influenced by situational factors. This paper aims to construct an empirically grounded narrative elucidating the development and function of resin-coated bead technology. Our methodology includes a comprehensive quantitative analysis of the coating and beads, an exploration of the interplay between technical choices and situational factors, and an investigation into whether the simulation of sensory performance characteristics played a pivotal role in the concept and design of resin-coated beads. Additionally, we synthesize data to unveil broader patterns related to the crafting and utilization of resin-coated and amber beads across time and space. We have documented resin-coated beads in the Iberian Peninsula from the Neolithic period (5th to 3rd millennia BCE) until at least the Middle Bronze Age (first half of the 2nd millennium BCE), where they coexisted with amber beads. Analysis employing ATR-FTIR and μ-CT imaging has revealed a composite coating comprising pine resin, beeswax, and carotene, adhered to shell beads with bone glue. This composite material represents the earliest known development in human history, unique to the Iberian Peninsula and without parallel in Prehistoric Europe. Our examination of the performance characteristics and functional roles of resin-coated beads suggests their potential as substitutes for amber beads, particularly in regions where amber was scarce or inaccessible. Despite being crafted from commonplace materials, these coated beads exhibit intentional design choices likely aimed at simulating the visual performance characteristics of amber. This deliberate effort, alongside their widespread distribution across time and space, indicates that composite-coated beads held symbolic and social significance akin to amber beads. • Our study quantitatively examines the development of coated beads in prehistoric Iberia, offering a thorough hypothesis of their past function and use. • Our study uses ATR-FTIR and μ-CT scans for a comprehensive analysis of these artifacts' composition and structure, appealing to a broad audience. • Our findings show the oldest evidence of humanmade composite material, bonded to a shell by bone glue, indicating advanced prehistoric design. • We uncover how these beads were designed to visually mimic amber, aiming for a specific color and aging process. • Our study highlights the social and symbolic significance of amber-like beads in high-status adornment, analyzing factors driving this technology. • The Tagus estuary concentration of these beads suggests a nuanced understanding of genuine amber scarcity and the need for innovative adornment technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study recreates aspects of the life and death of a young adult male who died during the siege of Roca Vecchia, a Bronze Age fortified coastal site in Italy. The partially charred and unburied individual, Roca US813A, was found among the debris in the southern room of the main gate to the city. This paper highlights information that can be retrieved from a single partially preserved skeleton. Detailed bioarchaeological, forensic, and taphonomic analysis, and thorough examination of archaeological and contextual data permit an osteobiography of this individual to be developed, which we situate in the overall picture of Middle Bronze Age regional events and exchanges between Italy and the Aegean world. This individual represents a unique example of information derived from bones from an archaeological context. After suffering fatal blows to the body, the individual was accidently exposed to heat. This allowed us to analyze wounds that had undergone thermal alteration. Since the combustion of the body was only partial and the same bone retains both highly burned and unburned parts, we were able to document the variations induced by heat at a macroscopic and microscopic level. To investigate the circumstances of his death, we focus on macroscopic and microscopic details of taphonomy and trauma using micro-CT, forensic, and multi-isotopic analysis. This may be the first secure evidence of a Middle Bronze Age (MBA) war casualty in Italy. In addition to detailed information about their manner of death, we discuss implications for the peopling of the site, tactics in Bronze Age warfare, and the nature of relations between Roca and the Aegean region. • Roca Vecchia; Middle Bronze Age; Warfare; Perimortem Traumas; Burned bones; Indigenous-Aegean relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces a novel micro-photogrammetric application for the examination of technological traces using a portable digital microscope. The aim is to evaluate its potential, advantages, and level of detail within the context of traceology studies, highlighting its importance in particular for field documentation of unmovable items. The technique is non-invasive and applicable to samples that cannot be transported outside their regions/countries of origin. Moreover, this methodological presentation aims to provide an extensive account of the utilized technology, the accessories, the possible uses and a series of experiments designed to replicate environmental and logistical conditions commonly encountered in the field. The goal is also to compare a 3D model obtained with a portable digital microscope to one obtained with a camera equipped with a macro lens, in order to highlight the level of detail achieved in trace visualization. The results are also expanded and discussed, including an examination of an archaeological case study. Additionally, to evaluate the validity and accuracy of the detected traces, the data obtained has been analyzed in the context of a qualitative assessment conducted using a stereomicroscope coupled with an optical fiber reflected light system. • Micro-photogrammetry for trace analysis in the field with a digital microscope. • Non-invasive technique to create a three-dimensional representation of the trace. • Excellent results can also be obtained at distances greater than 4 cm. • This technique provides greater detail compared to macro lens photogrammetry. • The system is adaptable to different conditions so it is effective in field application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the main interests in the interpretation of the archaeological record and its variability within and through time and space is the production and use of past human stone tool technologies. Tool design and function are inevitably intertwined and strongly related to tool use. Understanding tool design provides information about early human technological adaptations and reflects human behaviour in the sense of conscious or unconscious decision-making. Nevertheless, the reason for major changes (including novelties, innovations, and loss) in past human stone tool technology is still poorly understood. A comprehensive approach focusing on tool function (What was the tool meant for?) and use (What was the tool used for?) can help to overcome this gap. While tool function (including performance) can be investigated experimentally, tool use can be addressed with use-wear analyses. These questions can be best investigated on technological systems showing little tool variability but strong evidence of maintenance and long-term use, such as Middle Palaeolithic industries. The Late Middle Palaeolithic record of Central and Eastern Europe is marked by the emergence of an asymmetric tool-type called Keilmesser (bifacial backed knives). Due to their sophisticated morphology, Keilmesser as a case study offer the potential to address aspects of raw material selection, tool production, maintenance, and reworking. This paper presents the results of an experiment designed to study the tool performance of Keilmesser from three archaeological sites, namely Balver Höhle, the Upper site of Buhlen and Grotte de Ramioul by testing raw material, edge angle and movement as independent variables. A highly controlled, sequential experiment was conducted using a mechanical device performing unidirectional cutting and carving movements on hard contact material. Results demonstrate the possibility to perform the mentioned task with 35° and 45° edge angles, maintaining function, albeit at differing levels of efficiency. The data has a direct impact on the interpretation of the archaeological assemblages regarding aspects such as stone tool morphology and resharpening. At the same time, the study highlights the importance of raw material analysis to understand the variability in the archaeological record and the implications on past human decision-making strategies. • Highly controlled, mechanical experiments allow for investigating isolated, individual variables affecting tool performance. • Cutting and carving tasks can be performed with edge angles of 35° and 45° without losing samples' functionality. • Raw material properties crucially impact tool performance. • Silicified schist samples, compared to flint samples, experience more microfracturing during use, causing 'self-resharpening'. • Neanderthals' choice of silicified schist as raw material may have been a conscious decision in their technological rational. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The archaeological analysis of Historical mobility is an increasingly studied topic thanks to new geographic information technologies. This paper proposes a modelling exercise of the spatial behaviour of a Second Iron Age community in the Middle Tagus Valley: the hillfort of Villasviejas del Tamuja (Botija, Cáceres). Based on our knowledge of the configuration of the site and the surrounding settlements, we propose a heuristic use of a series of GIS tools to understand how the spatial relationship between both elements was structured. More specifically, we compare the results obtained with different calculation methods that combine two essential variables to address this issue: mobility and visibility relations. On the one hand, we evaluate the results with the application of an already developed methodology: the MADO analysis. On the other hand, we present a complementary procedure for the calculation of Least Cost Paths (LCP), considering the visibility as a key element in the mobility. The methodology uses the same data, in a paradigmatic case study for comparing results. The differences obtained through the use of different tools are thus evaluated in order to weigh up the additional or complementary knowledge that they can provide us with to investigate archaeological research questions such as the defensive architecture of the hillfort or the distribution of other nearby settlements. • Advance spatial understanding without direct connections, vital when central locations are known but routes are not. • LCPV as an alternative for mobility analysis compared with MADO. • LCPV's flexibility includes adding visibility criterion in mobility analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Weaponry is one of the most widespread categories of metalwork from the European Bronze Age. Different lines of evidence point out that violent encounters and martial values played a significant role both in communities' lives and ideologies. Hence, reconstructing the practices surrounding Bronze Age weaponry is pivotal for the understanding of many aspects of coeval societies. Nevertheless, the study of the functionality and use-life of such items has developed rather late compared to other categories of objects (e.g. flint implements). Currently, experimental archaeology and use-wear analysis concerning metalwork are facing the challenge of leaving the stage of 'infancy' to become fully developed fields of study. This paper aims at contributing to such a development by illustrating the potential and the results of an experimental framework for the investigation of combat with bronze weaponry (swords in this paper) which offers a viable compromise between actualism and variable control. We provide an in-depth account of the results by describing both the morphology and the formation mechanics of the features obtained supported by extensive photographic documentation. Furthermore, we discuss our observations regarding the relationship between specific combat movements and the type of marks produced on weapons. Finally, the results of a pilot use-wear study on Bronze Age swords are presented in order to assess the validity of our approach. • Methods and results of an experimental approach to Bronze Age combat are presented. • Formation dynamics of the wear traces are discussed in detail. • A connection between style of parrying and trace formation is suggested. • Traces on a sample of archaeological swords closely match those on experimental replicas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This paper addresses for the first time a large body of archaeobotanical data from prehistoric Southeastern Europe, mostly published for the first time, that correspond to cereal food preparations. The evidence presented here comes from 20 sites situated in Greece and Bulgaria, spanning the Early Neolithic through to the Iron Age (7th millennium B.C.-1st millennium B.C.). The remains correspond to cereal fragments or agglomerations of fragments that resulted from ancient food preparation steps such as grinding, boiling, sprouting/malting, mixing in bread-like or porridge-like foodstuffs. The article builds on previous pilot studies and with the aid of stereomicroscopy and scanning electron microscopy offers a first classification and possible interpretations of the finds leading to the recipes that might have generated them. At the same time the article highlights the significance of retrieving and studying in depth such rare archaeobotanical finds, points out the interpretative problems stemming from such material and suggests ways forward to address similar archaeological finds in different parts of the world. The paper demonstrates the potential of the systematic study of cereal-based food remains, in our case prehistoric Southeastern Europe, to reveal a wide variability in cereal food transformation practices, suggestive of the interplay between available ingredients, cultural traditions and the complex interaction between society and environment. Highlights • Cereal food remains from Southeastern Europe spanning the 7th to the 1st millennium B.C. reveal considerable variability. • A new classification system is proposed for the study of cereal-based food remains. • Classification criteria are based on macroscopic and microscopic observations informed by ethnography. • A wide range of potential cereal food preparations in prehistory cautions against hasty identifications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Time has consistently been regarded as the missing dimension from our renderings of space, having a significant impact on how we interpret and represent past interaction. Nowhere is this more keenly felt than in discussion of maritime mobility. This paper outlines an innovative approach to mapping maritime spaces by taking into account the performance of Bronze Age sailing ships in different weather conditions and the subsequent time of sailing journeys. The use of cartograms is demonstrated to be invaluable for reconceptualisation of maritime space and rethinking maritime connectivity in the past. This marks a step-change in approach, which has implications for regions beyond the case study area (eastern Mediterranean). The results presented in this paper foreground meaningful differences in maritime connectivity between Egypt and the Levant during the earlier Bronze Age than are easily realised through traditional static representations. This demonstrates the significance of developing alternative representations of space/time for archaeology. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • Mediation with mapping for maritime spaces. • Modelling the maritime space-time of ancient sailing by accounting for environmental rhythms and vessel performance. • Distorting space according to time with linear cartograms. • Rethinking maritime connectivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Traditionally, standardisation of manufacture has been investigated using metrics (e.g. length and width) and compared in terms of the coefficient of variation (CV). This paper argues that standardisation should not only be investigated via metrics, but also in terms of shape. An Iron Age lance head type ('Havor'), known from three main weapon depositions in Southern Scandinavia, is used as a case study to test the effectiveness of shape analysis against traditional metric analysis for investigating standardisation. Geometric morphometric (GMM) analysis is used to measure the overall shape variation and to test shape difference of the same lance type coming from three different archaeological sites. The results demonstrate GMM to complement the traditional metric approach. Whilst metric measurements offer insights into Havor lance standardisation, the results from multivariate analysis of GMM data provides further explanation about the source of variation in terms of shape, including an assessment of object symmetry. This paper represents the first known methodological application of GMM analysis to iron weapons and demonstrates it to be an effective method for studying product standardisation in terms of shape variation. Highlights • First application of geometric morphometric (GMM) analysis to investigate weapon standardisation of Iron Age weaponry. • First statistical investigation of symmetry in iron weaponry. • Metric and shape (GMM) analyses provide unequivocal evidence for the standardised production of the 'Havor' lance head. • GMM analysis provides improved results for assessing weapon standardisation, compared to traditional metric approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Smalt is a ground blue pigment made of potassium glass whose color comes from a small amount of cobalt oxide added during its preparation. It was very frequently used during the 15th to 19th centuries in Europe, but has by contrast been rarely mentioned or studied by Chinese researchers, despite having been identified in recent years on many Chinese antiques. This paper discusses analytical results from a selection of twenty-one samples of smalt, including wall paintings, architectural polychromy, polychrome sculptures, cave murals and textile paintings, each of which has been subject to a combination of polarized light microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and scanning electronic microscopy. This paper discusses the smalt's identification, as well as its historical uses and trade. Highlights • Smalt was used in China mainly in 16th to 18th centuries AD. • European and Chinese sample's have the same cobalt sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract While ancient Near Eastern cuneiform texts and iconography unambiguously demonstrate the social, economic, and ritual significance of beer, direct archaeological evidence for beer production or consumption remains surprisingly rare. This scarcity of material evidence renders it difficult to extrapolate information about the ingredients and production processes of beer, on the one hand, and the paraphernalia and social contexts of its consumption, on the other. In recent decades, organic residue analysis has become an essential tool in the identification of ancient alcoholic beverages, but research on Near Eastern beer has focused largely on production and storage vessels, whose form, archaeological context, and associated macroscopic residues already indicated their use in beer production. In this paper, we present a novel field sampling protocol that prevents contamination along with a refined organic residue analysis methodology that relies on a series of co-occurring compounds to identify confidently beer in ceramic vessels. The same compounds were identified in several modern beer samples and, thus, support our identification of a similar fermented barley-based beverage in archaeological samples from the late second millennium BCE site of Khani Masi in northeastern Iraq. The results presented in this paper allow us, for the first time, to unambiguously link a diverse range of vessel types to the consumption and production of beer, identify a fundamental change in Mesopotamian consumption practices, and shed light on the cultural dimensions of Babylonia's encounter with the Zagros-Mesopotamian borderlands. Highlights • First chemical identification of beer in Mesopotamian drinking vessels. • Robust new methodology to avoid modern contamination as a major source of bias. • Evidence from Khani Masi excavation (Sirwan Regional Project) provides new insights into cultural dimensions of Babylonia's imperial encounter. • Development of new standards of food items to identify ancient substances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This paper introduces the applicability of underwater photogrammetric survey within challenging conditions as the main tool to enhance and enrich the process of documenting archaeological excavation through the creation of 4D models. Photogrammetry was being attempted on underwater archaeological sites at least as early as the 1970s' and today the production of traditional 3D models is becoming a common practice within the discipline. Photogrammetry underwater is more often implemented to record exposed underwater archaeological remains and less so as a dynamic interpretative tool. Therefore, it tends to be applied in bright environments and when underwater visibility is > 1 m, reducing its implementation on most submerged archaeological sites in more turbid conditions. Recent years have seen significant development of better digital photographic sensors and the improvement of optical technology, ideal for darker environments. Such developments, in tandem with powerful processing computing systems, have allowed underwater photogrammetry to be used by this research as a standard recording and interpretative tool. Using multi-source photogrammetry (5, GoPro5 Hero Black cameras) this paper presents the accumulation of daily (4D) underwater surveys carried out in the Early Bronze Age (3300 BCE) to Late Ottoman (17th Century AD) archaeological site of Ropotamo in the Bulgarian Black Sea under challenging conditions (< 0.5 m visibility). It proves that underwater photogrammetry can and should be used as one of the main recording methods even in low light and poor underwater conditions as a way to better understand the complexity of the underwater archaeological record. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The preservation of soft tissue in the archaeological record is a rare phenomenon, especially in temperate contexts. Despite this, brain material is sometimes preserved in temperate climates, even in the absence of other soft tissue survival. However, little has been published on such finds. Archaeologists understandably have minimal experience in handling soft tissue, which may lead to brain material being left under-studied, or potentially unrecognised in situ. As such, there is a need to improve awareness of the preservation of brain material to further its identification, recovery, and analysis in the archaeological record. This paper examines preserved brain material identified in 8 of 77 unmarked colonial burials dating from the mid-to late-nineteenth century in New Zealand. This New Zealand case study provides an opportunity to consider brain preservation in archaeological contexts, and a means to study both in-life health and burial environment conditions. The preserved brain material was analysed macroscopically and microscopically using histological techniques to assess whether in vivo structures were preserved or pathogens affecting the individuals' health could be identified. Analysis revealed that all preserved brains were diagenetically altered by the burial environment macroscopically in the form of shrinkage, fragmentation, colour change, and incorporation of exogenous microorganisms. Microscopically, neural structures were not observable in the tissue, however in five cases vasculature might be preserved. Preserved vasculature in archaeological contexts may prove useful in the investigation of blood-related disorders, such as sickle cell disease, aneurisms, and blood clotting. Spirochetes (bacteria responsible for multiple diseases in humans, including syphilis) were observed in one individual; however, this analysis could not determine if these were a species which would have caused pathology in life or a species endogenous to the soil and incorporated after death. Importantly, no correlation between macroscopic and microscopic preservation was apparent, serving as a cautionary tale for archaeologists who may wish to analyse brain material in the future – microscopic analysis is necessary to fully assess preservation. • This paper reports the first study of preserved brain material in the archaeological record in Australasia. • All eight identified cases of preserved brain material were diagenetically altered in the form of shrinkage, fragmentation, and colour change. • No positive correlation between macroscopic and microscopic preservation is evident, highlighting the need for greater caution to be taken during the recovery process of human remains to identify potential brain material in situ. • Preserved vasculature and pathological microorganisms suggests there is ample scope in the use of preserved brain material for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a detailed response to the critique by Mr. Jansen of the paper “ Digging Deeper: Insights into Metallurgical Transitions in European Prehistory through Copper Isotopes ”. When we consider Cu isotope ratios of European Eneolithic and Early Bronze Age artifacts in the context of their local geological settings, climates, and archaeological contexts, Mr. Jansen's hypothesis that 63 Cu enrichment results from the adoption of fahlore ores is untenable. In both Serbia and Central Europe, the earliest copper production is associated with 65 Cu-enriched ores and subsequently produced artifacts yield lower ranges δ 65 Cu. This shift in Cu isotopic composition correlates with the initial use of predominantly hypogene ores, not with variations in their trace element content. Essentially the expanded dataset supports the conclusions that were presented in the original paper—Cu isotopes are an effective means of delineating the transition from oxide-based smelting to methodologically more complex smelting of sulphide ores in prehistoric Europe with its relatively limited production and trade. Mixing did not mask the critical Cu isotope signatures in this setting. Therefore, Cu isotope compositions of artifacts can be used to interpret the mineralogical character of the ores from which they were produced, regardless of their provenance, as long as trade networks remained within a region of similar climatic history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]