Archaeometallurgy of Post-Columbian America

Abstract

Outstanding research has been conducted on ancient metals all over the world within archaeometallurgy. However, studies on remains from historical sites (or postmedieval, in Europe) are less frequent. Though written documents, maps, paintings, and photographs, when available, are very useful complementary sources of information for this period, our knowledge of past technologies is not yet sufficiently thorough, as many sites were either poorly documented at the time, or not registered at all. Archaeologists can reconstruct past technical systems through the analysis and interpretation of their material expressions. Moreover, for modern period contexts, field-obtained information is usually combined with data from standing structures, documentary sources, and oral records. Within historical archaeology, intriguing advances have been made in the study of postcontact Native American sites, colonial settlements, battlefields, fortifications, urban and industrial facilities, and shipwrecks. A brief account of research carried out on metal artefacts from these contexts, mostly developed from the 1990s onward, is offered in this entry. Emphasis is placed on the value of archaeometallurgy for the study of post-Columbian societies in the Americas, both Native American peoples and settlers from European origin.