Investigation of a Copper-based Hoard from the Megalithic Site of al-Midamman, Yemen: an Interdisciplinary Approach

Abstract

In 1997, a hoard of copper-based objects was discovered at the megalithic site of al-Midamman, on the Red Sea Tihama coastal plain of the Republic of Yemen. Since there have been very few metal artifacts discovered in the lowlands of Yemen, and there was limited stratigraphy on the site, determining the time and place of production for these artifacts was difficult. A full investigation of the objects was deemed essential to determine their chronology and origin. Analysis included optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for metallography, inductively coupled plasma spectrography (ICP) for bulk chemical composition, SEM to determine phase composition and corrosion products, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) to identify corrosion products.

The objects can be divided into three types of copper and copper alloy: pure copper, arsenic rich copper, and tin rich copper. The difference in composition appears likely to be deliberate and suggests that the objects were produced sometime during the Early Bronze Age through the Middle Bronze Age. Further investigation of any metal objects discovered along the Yemeni coast and along the Ethiopian/ Eritrean side of the Red Sea is obviously essential.