Applications of lead and strontium isotope analysis were made on archaeological materials from three different contexts in both the Old and New Worlds. These materials comprised pre-Hispanic glaze painted ceramics from Arizona, U.S.A., glass beads from late first millennium AD Igbo-Ukwu, Nigeria, and copper-based metals from early first millennium AD Kissi, Burkina Faso. All materials contain lead at major, minor, or trace concentrations, and lead isotope analysis was employed to determine a provenance for that lead. Strontium isotope analysis also was applied to glass beads from Igbo-Ukwu to determine provenance(s) for strontium found in the glass. Furthermore, application of elemental composition analysis was or had been employed on all samples for additional data comparisons within assemblages and with comparable archaeological materials.Results of these analyses determined, in most cases, regional provenance with high degrees of confidence for lead contained in the analyzed samples. Strontium and elemental composition analysis data also proved valuable in confirming the regional provenance of the raw glass used to produce the glass beads. Leads in the glaze paints from Arizona, which demonstrated a range of resources exploitation, were confidently restricted to a few regions for their procurement. Likewise leads in most glass beads from Igbo-Ukwu were confidently restricted to two main source regions, with a third strong contender also being identified. The elemental composition and strontium isotope data determined with confidence the production regions for the primary raw glasses used to make the glass beads. Finally, leads in copper-based metals from Burkina Faso also were restricted to a few regions, although some inconclusiveness in provenance determination was attributed to mixing of metals from difference sources.These results confirm the utility of heavy isotope analysis of archaeological materials for provenance determination. The combination of these data with elemental composition analyses further confirm the interpretive strength of combining independent but related sets of analytical data for exploring questions of archaeological provenance. With improvements in instrument technology and application in the past two decades, very high precision and high accuracy analyses can be made which eliminate some earlier concerns of heavy isotope applications in archaeology.

This dissertation seeks to establish the possible provenance of copper and copper alloys used at Great Zimbabwe (1000-1700CE) to infer local and regional circulation circuits. It employs archaeological, archival, and geochemical methods to characterize samples of 26 wound wire bracelets, bangles, anklets, necklaces, and other forms of expressive and decorative wear excavated from the southern terrace, (Hill Complex) at Great Zimbabwe. The samples were macroscopically, microscopically, chemically and isotopically characterized to understand the technique of manufacture, chemical composition, lead isotopic ratios and the starting composition of uranium and thorium in relation the model ages. The Pb isotopic data calculated 238U/204Pb (μ), 232Th/ 238U(κ) ratios and estimated model ages (T) were compared with published lead isotopic ratios from various ore samples from central and southern Africa. Within opportunities afforded by the historical record and limitations imposed by small sample sizes especially of the comparative geology, indications are that the studied objects were produced using ores matching the Cu-Ni mineralization at Empress Mine (in Zimbabwe), Cu Ag and Cu Pb Zn Ag mineralization associated with the Kundelungu Plateau (bordering Zambia and Democratic Republic of Congo). This suggests that Great Zimbabwe participated directly and indirectly in the vibrant micro, regional and interregional circulation of copper and other resources. Future work, must however, add more trace element data from the objects and increase the number of samples from ancient mines and other sites to develop a fuller picture of the movement of copper in Iron Age southern Africa through space and time.

Metal played important role in the social and economic development of societies since its discovery. It is so important that the some part of humankind historical development were designated by the type of metal which was extensively used depending upon the level of technology of that period enabling the processing of metal like bronze age and iron age. In this frame, the rich metal deposits of Anatolia made this region a very important metal working and civilization center. K&uuml / ltepe where it was the center of the trade organization in Anatolia realized between Assur and Anatolia during 1945-1730 B.C called Assyrian Trade Colonies Period was one of the most important metal working center of Anatolia at that period. In this thesis, it is aimed to make a contribution to understand the metal working technology in K&uuml / ltepe by examining the uncovered metal artifacts dated to that period. For this purpose, the metal artifacts uncovered from K&uuml / ltepe Ancient Site belonging to Colonies Period which are exhibited in the Anatolian Civilization Museum were examined by portable XRF (PXRF) to obtain the quantity of elements that constituted the artifacts without giving any harm to the artifact. Besides the examination of exhibited artifacts in the Anatolian Civilization Museum, the uncovered metal artifact parts belonging to Colonies Period which are not suitable for exhibition and separated for studying were examined by energy dispersive X-ray unit of scanning electron microscope for elemental analysis and by X-ray diffraction for the analysis of minerals. The microstructures of artifacts were examined by scanning electron microscope and optical microscope for revealing the operations on metal applied by ancient metalsmith. In addition to analysis mentioned above, in order to make a contribution to understand the copper trade between K&uuml / ltepe and its environs lead isotope analysis of some samples from the separated metal artifacts for studying was also performed. As a result of all those analyses, it was concluded that K&uuml / ltepe ancient metalsmiths in Colonies Period had the knowledge to smelt the copper and to pour molten metal into a mold to produce an object of desired shape. Moreover, they also discovered that the addition of some elements to copper hardens the structure. In this frame the bronze to be obtained by deliberately adding of tin to copper was attained. In addition, they were aware of shaping the casted object by hammering. In the meantime, they had the knowledge of heat treatment that allows them forging the object many times till giving the desired shape without causing the fracture in the structure.