Six previously unknown Bronze Age mines discovered in Spain may be the missing piece in explaining ancient Scandinavian metalwork, but they also open new possibilities for forgotten contacts in the ancient world.
The discovery was made by researchers with the University of Gothenburg’s Maritime Encounters program, during an archaeological survey of the Extremadura site in southwestern Spain. Their discovery points towards a potential answer to longstanding questions about the metal from which Bronze Age Scandinavian artifacts were forged, and supports a highly connected ancient Europe, with material trade over long distances.
Surveying Bronze Age Mines
Lasting only a week, from the 9th through the 16th of February, the Maritime Encounters program conducted its survey at the Extremadura site, near Cabeza del Buey, in the Spanish province of Badajoz. Joining the Gothenburg archaeologists were regional experts from the Universidad de Sevilla and the Museo Arqueológico Provincial de Badajoz.
The survey documented a total of six previously unregistered Bronze Age mining sites in the area. These mines ran the gamut from large environments to small extraction mines, one of which was notable for the extent of equipment left behind. There, archaeologists uncovered about 80 grooved stone axes, which they interpreted as having once been used to crush and process ore at the site.
Ancient Metals
Metals from the site included some of the most important with relation to long-distance global trade at the time, including copper, lead, and silver. Earlier work by Professor Johan Ling of the University of Gothenburg and the Maritime Encounters program investigated the origins of Bronze Age Scandinavian metal. Through lead isotope and chemical analysis, Professor Ling determined that the metal in those artifacts was likely sourced from southwestern Spain, suggesting a far-reaching ancient trade network.
“The newly discovered Bronze Age mines identified over the past ten years – both by other research teams and through the approximately 20 new mines documented by our research group between 2024 and 2026 – are transforming our understanding of how interconnected Europe was already 3,000 years ago,” Ling commented.
Bronze Age Trade
These discoveries provide crucial evidence for what Ling’s previous work suggested: southwestern Europe’s metal extraction was more organized and extensive than researchers previously concluded. The work combines two crucial types of research used to piece together the ancient world: objective chemical and isotopic analyses with interpretive archaeological context.
At Extremadura, the team has not just discovered metal that matches, but material evidence of how large and organized these Bronze Age mining operations were. This supports Ling’s previous analysis of swords from throughout Europe, which revealed an intriguing fact: swords are often discovered in areas far from where their metal was sourced. Analyzing these geological matches reveals an increasing number of ancient long-distance trade routes, which changed over time.
“The discovery of the new Bronze Age mines in Extremadura represents only the tip of the iceberg. In this region – as well as in Andalusia – we estimate that as many as 150 prehistoric mines may still remain undocumented and uninvestigated,” Ling concluded. “This has the potential to fundamentally reshape our understanding of the Bronze Age world system, in which copper mining operated as one of the key engines of the era.”
Ryan Whalen covers science and technology for The Debrief. He holds an MA in History and a Master of Library and Information Science with a certificate in Data Science. He can be contacted at ryan@thedebrief.org, and follow him on Twitter @mdntwvlf.