Iron Age and Roman metallurgical activities at the Spasovine placer tin deposit, West Serbia

Spasovine, on the south flank of Mt. Cer in West Serbia, is one of the rare localities where Late Bronze Age placer tin mining activities have been documented. Archeological pedestrian surveys on this river terrace recovered ceramic fragments with metal-rich coatings, thought to be fragments of technical ceramics. The physical characteristics of the "petrol" gray-bodied ceramics are consistent with Roman Period ca. 200-300AD production, while black-bodied sherds are most consistent with Iron Age ceramics of western Serbia. SEM-EDS analysis of polished thin-sections and rough surfaces has shown that the fragments are enriched in various metallic residues (Zn, Sn, Cu, Pb in various combinations). Of the fourteen sherds studied, nine Roman samples contain Zn-rich coatings on the inner surfaces as well as deeper penetration of zinc enrichment into the ceramic interior, consistent with Zn cementation for brass. Three of these also contained younger addition of Sn, indicating that they were repurposed for bronze production at Spasovine. The prehistoric sherds contain tin along with Cu and Pb, consistent with the production of leaded tin bronze, which is not known from the area until the Iron Age (ca. 800-600BC). Thus, Spasovine was the site of itinerant mining and metallurgical activity, at least sporadically, over a period of 1700 years from the Late Bronze Age (14th century BCE) to the Roman Period (2nd-3rd century CE). This demonstrates that small deposits of placer tin could have had long-term impact on regional tin economies in ancient Europe.