Historical metallurgical taxonomy: geoarchaeological and archaeometallurgical aspects

The article discusses the terminology of historical and metallurgical research of the early metal era (Chalcolithic – Bronze Age). The logic of the development of the historical and metallurgical research, as well as outstanding discoveries of recent years in this area urge the need not only to specify and clarify the meaning of some key terms, but also to introduce new taxonomic units that would contribute to a more comprehensive picture of ancient metal industries. The geoarchaeological aspect in historical and metallurgical research determines the following taxonomic series: mine – mining and metallurgical district – mining and metallurgical centre – mining and metallurgical region. In this case, it is necessary to specify the chronological position. The taxonomic series of concepts reflecting the archaeometallurgical aspect of historical and metallurgical problems can be presented in the following form: local centre of metal production – district centre of metal production – core area of metal production – zone of metal production – metallurgical province. For centres and core areas of metal production, it is possible to clarify their metallurgical or metalworking status. The core areas of metal production are fractions of culture (subcultures) and correlate with archaeological cultures, while metal production zones correlate with blocks of cultures. Such a correlation takes historical and metallurgical research beyond the study of ancient industries expanding research horizons.