New Early Bronze Age Metal Finds from Western Poland

Abstract In recent years, a significant number of hoards of metal objects and individual finds have been uncovered and dated to the early phases of the Bronze Age. According to Reinecke’s classification, these artifacts belong to phases A1–B1 (2300–1600 BCE). Although the discovery sites of some individual objects raise questions about their exact context, the available data regarding their locations clearly suggest that these sites were selected with specific intent. Rather than being random, their placements seem deliberate. Previously, information about these finds was scattered across various Polish publications, presented at museum conferences, shared on social media, exchanged in private correspondence, and discussed in informal settings and on news websites. In compiling this publication, we aimed to consolidate this material and offer new insights into the contexts of discovery, the composition of metal alloys, production techniques, and traces of production and use associated with selected objects. Our primary focus was on the territories of western Poland, which during the discussed period were influenced by the Únětice and Tumulus metallurgical styles. In the following sections, we detail the materials and research methods utilized, presenting the complete corpus of finds along with information on their discovery circumstances, typology, chronology, and storage locations. We then analyze the contexts of discovery and chronological aspects of the Early Bronze Age, as well as examining the production and use of selected objects through microscopic observations, X-ray and CT imaging, and analyses of alloy composition.