Vavelidis M, Andreou S
Department of Mineralogy, Petrology and Economic Geology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
Naturwissenschaften. 2008 Apr;95(4):361-6. doi: 10.1007/s00114-007-0331-2. Epub 2007 Dec 18.
Numerous objects of gold displaying an impressive variety of types and manufacturing techniques are known from the Late Bronze Age (LBA) contexts of Mycenaean Greece, but very little is known about the origin and processing of gold during the second millennium B.C: . Ancient literature and recent research indicate that northern Greece is probably the richest gold-bearing region in Greece, and yet, very little evidence exists regarding the exploitation of its deposits and the production as well as use of gold in the area during prehistory. The unusual find of a group of small stone crucibles at the prehistoric settlement of Thessaloniki Toumba, one with visible traces of gold melting, proves local production and offers a rare opportunity to examine the process of on-site gold working. Furthermore, the comparison of the chemical composition of prehistoric artefacts from two settlements with those of gold deposits in their immediate areas supports the local extraction of gold and opens up the prospect for some of the Mycenaean gold to have originated in northern Greece. The scarcity of gold items in northern Greek LBA contexts may not represent the actual amount of gold produced and consumed, but could be a result of the local social attitudes towards the circulation and deposition of artefacts from precious metals.
在希腊迈锡尼的青铜时代晚期（LBA）背景下，发现了许多类型和制造工艺令人印象深刻的黄金制品，但对于公元前二千年期间黄金的来源和加工情况却知之甚少。古代文献和近期研究表明，希腊北部可能是希腊黄金储量最丰富的地区，然而，关于该地区史前时期金矿的开采以及黄金的生产和使用，几乎没有证据。在塞萨洛尼基图姆巴的史前定居点发现了一组小石坩埚，其中一个有明显的黄金熔炼痕迹，这一不同寻常的发现证明了当地的黄金生产，并提供了一个难得的机会来研究现场黄金加工的过程。此外，将两个定居点的史前文物的化学成分与它们附近地区的金矿的化学成分进行比较，支持了黄金的本地开采，并为一些迈锡尼黄金起源于希腊北部开辟了前景。希腊北部LBA背景下黄金制品的稀缺可能并不代表实际生产和消费的黄金数量，而是当地社会对贵金属制品流通和沉积的态度所致。
