Pre-columbian Gold and Copper in Costa Rica

黄金财富仍然与“新世界”紧密相连。秘鲁和哥伦比亚在辩论中最突出，而对中美洲的了解要少得多。这个新项目旨在填补这一空白，并提供对中美洲早期冶金（金和铜）的深刻见解。决定将哥斯达黎加作为研究的核心地区。它不仅拥有丰富的前哥伦布时期的黄金和铜工艺品，而且是该地区的中心，具有中美洲和地峡-哥伦比亚地区的影响。哥斯达黎加的考古研究和保护机构水平很高。目前，我们哥斯达黎加合作伙伴的明确支持为在德国和中美洲这一中心地带之间建立一个更持久的研究前景提供了很好的机会。该项目遵循两步走的概念，首先是结合采矿考古学和地球化学分析的研究战略，既针对当地矿石，也针对博物馆和收藏品中的金属制品。一旦收集和分析了基本数据，第二部分将侧重于社会文化和经济方面。 在与古美洲研究的合作中，来自哥斯达黎加的结果将被纳入墨西哥和哥伦比亚之间的新世界早期冶金学的视角。本提案所申请的项目的第一部分着手生成基本分析数据。以前的考古计量学研究大多局限于博物馆物品。由于分析方法不同，结果仍然难以比较。尽管哥斯达黎加拥有丰富的金属制品，但从未对哥斯达黎加丰富的金属矿床进行过采矿考古研究。因此，除了综合人工制品分析外，项目第一阶段还包括对有关矿床和矿区进行系统调查，以寻找哥伦布发现美洲大陆前金属生产的遗迹，即采矿、精炼或加工场地，并对哥斯达黎加北部和南部的原生金、铜矿床和（古）砂矿进行系统取样和分析。主要目的是确定矿区和人工制品的地球化学特征，通过比较这些特征来确定金属物体的潜在原材料来源。我们的研究结果将提供一个健全的考古数据基础，在中美洲的未来研究方法，超越了哥斯达黎加的边界。

The wealth in gold is still firmly associated with the “New World”. Peru and Columbia are most prominent in the debate, while much less is known about Central America. This new project sets out to fill this gap and to provide a profound insight into the early metallurgy (gold and copper) of Central America. Costa Rica was decided upon as the core area of study. It boasts not only a wealth of pre-columbian gold and copper artefacts but is also at the heart of the region, featuring both influences from Mesoamerica and from the isthmo-columbian area. Costa Ricas archaeological research and conservation institutions are of very high standard. The unequivocal support of our costarican cooperation partners at present offers the great chance to establish a longer lasting research perspective between Germany and this heartland of Central America. The project follows a two-step concept, starting off with a research strategy combining mining archaeology and geo-chemical analysis, both on local ores as well as on metal artefacts in museums and collections. Once the basic data has been collected and analysed, the second part will focus on socio-cultural and economic aspects. In cooperation with Ancient American Studies the results from Costa Rica will be put into perspective of new world early metallurgy between Mexico and Columbia. The first part of the project, which is applied for in this proposal, sets out to generate the basic analytical data. Previous archaeometallurgical studies were mostly confined to museum objects. Due to differing analytical methods the results remain difficult to compare. Despite its wealth in metal artefacts, no mining archaeological research has ever been done at Costa Ricas rich metal deposits. Therefore, besides comprehensive artefact analysis, the first project phase comprises a systematic survey of the relevant deposits and mining precincts, to search for remains of pre-Columbian metal production, i.e. mining, beneficiation or processing sites and to systematically sample and analyse the primary gold and copper deposits and (paleo-) placers in the north and south of Costa Rica. The main aim will be to establish the geochemical fingerprints of both ore districts and artefacts to identify potential raw material sources of the metal objects by comparison of these signatures. Our results will provide a sound archaeometallurgical data base for future research approaches in Central America, beyond the borders of Costa Rica.