Metal from a bronze age ritual site on Shaitanskoe lake (Middle Urals)

Excavations of a unique sanctuary known as Shaitanskoe Lake II revealed a richcollection of copper, bronze and stone items as well as ceramics of the Koptyaki type. Bronzeitems from Shaitanskoe Lake are attributed to three typological and morphological groupssuch as the Seima-Turbino group, the Samus-Kizhirovo group and the so-called Eurasiangroup. The analytical research identified two formulas for making alloys, i. e. tin bronze andpure copper. Ore sources of the Shaitanskoe metal are, most likely, associated with the production centers located in the Rudny Altai Region, Kazakhstan and the Southern Trans-Urals.