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Pb isotope data of Roman and medieval objects from Wiesloch near Heidelberg, Germany

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Abstract

Lead isotope abundance ratios have become a reliable and common tool for obtaining information on the provenance of archaeological material containing lead. This paper presents Pb-isotope data of lead-silver smelting relics dating to the High Middle Ages, data from Roman objects, as well as data from objects of various other periods from Wiesloch and the surrounding area. The results are compared to Pb-isotope data from the Wiesloch Pb-Zn deposit and some Rhenish lead deposits. Results indicate that during the Roman period, only local lead was used at Wiesloch, while during later periods, lead from other sources is also present.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Andreas Hauptmann (Deutsches Bergbaumuseum, Bochum) and the Mineralogisches Institut der Universität Münster for sample material. We would also like to acknowledge the Stadtmuseum Leimen for permission to sample a lead bullion from the tenth century. Our sincere thanks go to Michael Brauns, who conducted the lead isotope analysis at the Curt-Engelhorn-Zentrum für Archäometrie, Mannheim. Friedrich Begemann, Wolfgang Siebel, Thomas Wenzel, Udo Neumann and Michael Matzke are thanked for their helpful discussions. This study was funded by the Promotionsverbund “Römischer bis neuzeitlicher Bergbau in Wiesloch (Baden) aus lagerstättenkundlicher, historischer und archäologischer Sicht”, Universität Tübingen, and the Alfried-Krupp-Förderpreis für junge Hochschullehrer to Gregor Markl.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum Mainz, Ernst-Ludwig Platz 2, 55116, Mainz, Germany

    Florian Ströbele

  2. Büro für Denkmalpflege und Umweltschutz, Im Köpfle 7, 69168, Wiesloch, Germany

    Ludwig H. Hildebrandt

  3. Institut für Mineralogie, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Corrensstraße 24, 48149, Münster, Germany

    Albrecht Baumann

  4. Institut für Ur- und Frühgeschichte und Archäologie des Mittelalters, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Schloss Hohentübingen, 72070, Tübingen, Germany

    Ernst Pernicka

  5. Institut für Geowissenschaften, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Wilhelmstraße 56, 72074, Tübingen, Germany

    Gregor Markl

Authors
  1. Florian Ströbele
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  2. Ludwig H. Hildebrandt
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  3. Albrecht Baumann
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  4. Ernst Pernicka
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  5. Gregor Markl
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Correspondence to Florian Ströbele.

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Ströbele, F., Hildebrandt, L.H., Baumann, A. et al. Pb isotope data of Roman and medieval objects from Wiesloch near Heidelberg, Germany. Archaeol Anthropol Sci 7, 465–472 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12520-014-0208-1

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