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A Slovak-Polish archaeological team researching the ancient Egyptian site of Tell el-Retaba has examined remnants of settlement-based metallurgy, particularly from the period of the New Kingdom and the Third Intermediate Period (approximately 1550–664 BCE). While Tutankhamun’s golden mask and the treasures from royal tombs in Tanis from the same period are widely known, the everyday use of metals in ancient settlements remains much less explored.

"The tomb of King Thutmose II was examined just recently, and our study provides insights into metallurgy in an ordinary settlement during his reign. We present the first dataset on metalworking from the New Kingdom and the Third Intermediate Period in Egypt. One of the most fascinating and surprising discoveries is the identification of freshly processed copper, probably sourced from the nearby Eastern Desert or the Sinai Peninsula, dated mainly to the early New Kingdom, i.e., the mid-2nd millennium BCE. While it was previously assumed that all copper was recycled during the New Kingdom, this study identifies Tell el-Retaba as one of the sites where newly mined copper was introduced into the Nile Valley," says Slovak-born Egyptologist Martin Odler from Newcastle University.

The research team, which includes scientists from the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, also identified a fragment of a copper ingot—one of the few ingots known from the entire history of ancient Egypt. Additionally, a unique silver pin from the New Kingdom period was analyzed, containing 7% lead, a composition previously unknown among Egyptian silver artifacts.

“This research represents the first systematic study of settlement-based metallurgy from the early Iron Age in Egypt at the transition between the 2nd and 1st millennia BCE. It reveals the continuation of tin-bronze production, the main material of the Late Bronze Age, as well as the use of unusual copper-lead alloys, which are rarely preserved in Egypt,” state the orientalists from the Slovak Academy of Sciences.

The study analyzed 31 samples of metal artifacts and copper production residues using portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometry on cleaned cross-sections of samples and metallographic microscopy to identify specific metallic phases. The results reveal complex metallurgical processes involving various alloys, including tin bronze and leaded copper. For the first time, the daily metallurgical activities of local blacksmiths have been documented at an Egyptian archaeological site. The research was conducted with the support of the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, and the analyses were carried out in the laboratory of the French Institute of Oriental Archaeology in Cairo.

The study was published in the prestigious journal Egypt and the Levant, indexed in the Scopus database. The lead authors are Slovak-born Egyptologist Dr. Martin Odler from Newcastle University and archaeometallurgist Ing. Jiří Kmošek from the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna and the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences. The research was conducted in collaboration with scientists from the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Slovak Academy of Sciences in Bratislava (research project At the Borderlands: Boundaries in Life and Life in the Borderlands of Ancient Egypt, APVV-20-0116) and the University of Warsaw, which has been studying Tell el-Retaba for over 15 years.

More About the Research Site:

Tell el-Retaba, located in the Wadi Tumilat, served as an important settlement and military fortress from the Second Intermediate Period through the New Kingdom to the Third Intermediate Period. Its strategic position on Egypt’s northeastern border made it a key point of trade and cultural exchange. Archaeological research at the site closely follows the fine stratigraphy of the settlement, allowing metal remains to provide a detailed perspective on centuries of metallurgical development at this location. This study is dedicated to the memory of Květa Smoláriková, a respected member of the expedition, who passed away last year.

Citation of the Article

Odler, Martin, Jiří Kmošek, Veronika Verešová, Lucia Hulková, Łukasz Jarmużek, Agnieszka Ryś-Jarmużek, Anna Wodzińska, Jozef Hudec, and Sławomir Rzepka. 2024. ‘Unearthing Fresh Copper of Tell El-Retaba: From the Second to the Third Intermediate Period’. Ägypten und Levante XXXIV, strany 419–453. Doi: 10.1553/AEundL34s419.

Source and Contact Person: Veronika Verešová, veronika.dubcova@savba.sk