Bronze Anthropomorphic Statuette between Sardinia and Etruria: Comparison, Provenance and Trade Networks in the Iron Age Mediterranean

The Nuragic civilization, which flourished in Sardinia between the 18th and 8th centuries B.C., left a significant legacy in bronze metallurgy, evidenced, e.g., by the creation of anthropomorphic statuettes known as bronzetti, representing symbolic figures such as warriors, priests, and offerers. The stylistic similarities between these figurines and an anthropomorphic sample found at the Etruscan site of Gran Carro, on Lake Bolsena (VT, Italy), confirm the existence of possible cultural and commercial exchanges between Sardinia and Etruria during the Iron Age [1, 2]. The aim of the research is therefore to make a comparative study between these types of artifacts, and to provide further evidence of the contacts that occurred between the two cultures. The Nuragic figurines were analyzed using a combination of non-destructive techniques, X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and Monte Carlo (MC) simulation, which allowed their structure and alloy composition to be characterized. The same non-destructive methodology was applied to the Bolsena statuette, on which, however, sampling was also performed to carry out micro-invasive analyses, including Scanning Electron Microscopy coupled with Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), Electron Probe Microanalysis (EPMA), metallography, and Lead Isotope Analyses (LIA). The results obtained from isotopic analysis made it possible to trace the origin of the copper used in the statuette by comparing it with databases on Mediterranean deposits [3-5]. This made it possible to identify the mining district of origin, confirming Sardinia's role as an important center of metallurgical production and exchange and underscoring the trade links between the island and Etruria during the Iron Age. References [1] Matta V., and Vandkilde H. "The state of the debate: Nuragic metal trade in the Bronze Age and Early Iron Age." Open Archaeology 9.1 (2023): 20220280. https://doi.org/10.1515/opar-2022-0280 [2] Arancio, M. L., Moretti Sgubini A. M., and Pellegrini E. "Corredi funerari femminili di rango a Vulci nella prima età del ferro: il caso della Tomba dei Bronzetti sardi." Milano: Centro di Studi di Preistoria e Archeologia (2010): 169-213. [3] Alpine Archeocopper Project, http://geo.geoscienze.unipd.it/aacp/welcome.html [4] OXALID, Oxford archaeological lead isotope database. http://oxalid.arch.ox.ac.uk [5] BRETTSCAIFE, https://www.brettscaife.net/lead/data/index.html