The Domestication of Metals: The Rise of Complex Metal Industries in Anatolia Culture and History of the Ancient Near East

Over the decades, Anatolian metal artefacts have been the focus of scientific analysis. In this volume Aslihan Yener provides an analysis of the organization of production within a broader social context, based on his field work, surveys, excavations and analytical programmes regarding transformations in metallurgy.

Yener introduces convincing evidence for a revision of existing models concerning the metal industry. He locates a core of technological innovation in the highland zones, where critical resources are in close proximity to the developing polities in the fertile, agricultural lowlands. The Early Bronze Age tin mine, Kestel, and the contemporary workshop and habitation site of nearby Gultepe, illustrate an industrial complex specializing in the production of tin metal.

Metallurgical data explains the organization and management of a range of interactive technologies in prehistoric states in Anatolia from 8000-2000 BC.