A preliminary study of the metallurgical ceramics from Kition, Cyprus with the application of pXRF

Cyprus is considered to be one of the main sources for copper for the Old World since the second millennium BC. Yet we are still far from fully understanding the dynamics, which govern the organization of copper production and distribution on the island. The discovery of a complex of workshops during the excavation of the sacred precinct at the site of Kition — Kathari located in south-east Cyprus led some scholars to suggest that copper ores were smelted in these workshops while others have more recently suggested that the workshops were dedicated to casting and recycling votive artifacts. In order to address this issue and to determine the nature of the metallurgical process taking place at Kition a collection of 57 metallurgical ceramics and crucible slags from the site dating from the 13th to the late 4th century BC, was analyzed chemically with the use of a handheld pXRF instrument. Also, the same technique was employed to distinguish the existence of different fabric groups in the assemblage.