The Iron Age bronze workshop of "El Vato", Trento, Italy

The excavations carried out on the site of Zambana el Vato, province of Trento, Italy, dated to the 7th - 5th century BC revealed the structures of a 5th century metal workshop in which both copper-based alloys and iron were worked. This paper presents the results of 119 analyses carried out by XRF on the copper-based finds recovered on the site, discusses their significance, the use of the various alloys, special working techniques and working habits of the artisans. Among the finds there are both cast and hammered pieces. The analyses have shown that alloys used for thin sheets are better purified and contain much less trace elements than other alloys. For personal ornaments, such as for example brooches or decorative pins better quality alloys - mostly containing more tin than other items - were employed. On the contrary, for everyday metal objects or small mechanical parts any kind of available alloys were used.