A re-assessment of the evidence and context of the creation and development of Aegean Perforated Furnace

Perforated ceramic fragments from a structure named the Aegean Perforated Furnace (APF), believed to have been used in the process of smelting copper ores, are found within the LN/EBA in the Aegean, specifically in southern mainland Greece, the northern Cyclades and Crete. This evidence is different from other contemporary evidence of copper smelting in the Aegean and its neighbouring regions, suggesting an isolated tradition. Over the past 2 decades, more evidence has been found, increasing the number of sites and also including evidence of an earlier date. A model for the reconstruction of the APF and the method for smelting was proposed by Betancourt (2006) based on the excavated remains from Chrysokamino, and has been accepted as representing all APF evidence in the Aegean. This thesis collates all the evidence for the APF from the Aegean for the first time, in order to compare the evidence and assess whether it all fits the model proposed by Betancourt (2006). The wider context of this technology will be assessed, to understand the chaîne opératoire of the smelting process and to re-assess the model proposed by Betancourt (2006). Based on this assessment, a new model for the way in which the APF functioned is proposed. A series of experiments which test this new model are presented and analysis is carried out on the ceramic furnace fragments and metallurgical debris produced by the experiments, to compare the results with those of analysis on excavated remains, as another level of testing the reconstruction. Then, armed with this new model for the process of copper smelting with the Aegean Perforated Furnace, and taking into account the new early dates for its existence, this thesis will assess how the model for the APF fits with existing models for the inception and transmission of metallurgy.