Archaeologists say they have uncovered new evidence that the production of arsenical bronze was known to the ancient Middle Kingdom Egyptians.
The surprise discovery, detailed in a study in the journal Archaeometry, argues that metalworkers from what is also known as Egypt’s Period of Reunification, which lasted roughly from 2040 to as recently as 1700 BC, possessed a greater degree of technological advancement than previously known to archaeologists.
At the heart of the findings was the discovery of a byproduct of metalworking known as “speiss” that was discovered on Elephantine Island, located near Aswan, Egypt, which is believed to date as far back as 4000 years ago. The research was led by Jiří Kmošek of the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna and the Czech Academy of Sciences, along with Newcastle University researcher Dr. Martin Odler.
“The use of speiss in the production of arsenical bronze during the MBA on Elephantine Island has been confirmed,” the researchers write in their study, which they say reveals “a more complex metallurgical process than previously suspected.”
Speiss UNcovered at an Ancient Egyptian Site
Speiss, which is composed of a mixture of impure metals, includes high levels of arsenic, iron, and lead. Its discovery from a site associated with Egypt’s Middle Kingdom is significant, since this material is known to have been employed during later periods as a reagent in the production of arsenical bronze.
However, no examples of its use in such processes had ever been documented at such an early site previously. The new findings represent the earliest known use of ancient Egyptian metallurgy involving controlled alloying using arsenic.
In the past, archaeologists assumed that the presence of arsenical copper in artifacts from earlier periods in Egyptian history had likely resulted from naturally occurring contamination of copper ore samples.
Upending this idea, the new findings appear to show that by Egypt’s Middle Kingdom, metal workers knew that adding speiss to copper while in its molten state allowed them to significantly strengthen the bronze they produced to make weapons, and a range of other objects with both utilitarian and ritual purposes.
Ancient Discoveries Under the Microscope
The team’s research included analysis using portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) technologies, as well as optical and scanning electron microscopy, and a range of related technologies to study the speiss fragments located on Elephantine Island. Analysis dated these samples to sometime during Egypt’s 12th Dynasty.
In addition to arsenic, the team’s analysis revealed that the use of speiss during this period also introduced small amounts of antimony and lead into the metals produced by the ancient Egyptians, which may have complicated past efforts to establish the origins and ages of past samples.
Presently, it remains unclear where the speiss samples uncovered at Elephantine Island came from, although Kmošek, Odler, and colleagues believe that strong evidence points to a likely origin for the material in Egypt’s Eastern Desert, where arsenopyrite ores are known to exist. The implication here is also significant, as it highlights the trade networks between various communities throughout the region, and the exchange of mined materials of this type at much earlier periods in history than once acknowledged.
Ultimately, the team believes their findings reveal the surprisingly precocious state of Egyptian metallurgy in the ancient world of nearly 4000 years ago, confirming the existence of ancient technologies that would not become widespread in other regions of the ancient world for at least several more centuries.
The team’s findings were published in a recent study, “Production of arsenical bronze using speiss on the Elephantine Island (Aswan, Egypt) during the Middle Kingdom (Middle Bronze Age) (c.2000–1650 BCE), which appeared in the journal Archaeometry.
Micah Hanks is the Editor-in-Chief and Co-Founder of The Debrief. A longtime reporter on science, defense, and technology with a focus on space and astronomy, he can be reached at micah@thedebrief.org. Follow him on X @MicahHanks, and at micahhanks.com.