Ore deposits in the Balkan Peninsula were intensively mined for silver and other metals in the Roman and medieval periods. Coinage mainly issued by tribal groups between the early 5th and the end of the 3rd century BCE provides indirect evidence that silver extraction predates the Roman conquest of the region. However, identification of centers of past metal production and reconstruction of large-scale silver fluxes can only be achieved using a comprehensive geochemical database of potential ores. Here, we present high-precision Pb–Ag–S isotope data and trace element systematics for 128 ore samples from 36 mineralizations from the Balkans as well as one semi-reacted ore from a settlement site (=archaeological sample) and one andesite analyzed as a whole-rock and as a K-feldspar separate. Each ore site was selected for its geological characteristics and documented or assumed historical and/or archaeological significance.

The reported data reconstruct the formation of ore bodies from large pre-existing Pb stocks derived from upper crustal sources, modified by tectonic and metasomatic processes, and eventually remobilized by magmatic activity. Lead isotope maps establish distinct isotopic domains which are linked to geological characteristics and enable an enhanced assessment of potential metal sources in provenance studies. Silver isotopes underscore the importance of hypogene ores of hydrothermal origin comprising galena or sulfosalt minerals as the main silver carrier phases and they can circumscribe ore deposits to those actually used as bullion sources of ancient coinage. We show that the Ag isotope signatures and the silver content of the argentiferous galena-rich ores in the Kopaonik and Zletovo districts (Serbia, Kosovo, and North Macedonia), combined with field evidence for historical metal production and geographical considerations, make them the most likely sources of silver which could have been used for coinage issued by mints in the interior of the Balkans.

在罗马和中世纪时期，巴尔干半岛的矿床被集中开采以获取白银和其他金属。公元前 5 世纪初至 3 世纪末主要由部落团体发行的硬币提供了间接证据，表明白银开采早于罗马征服该地区。然而，只有使用潜在矿石的综合地球化学数据库，才能确定过去的金属生产中心和重建大规模银通量。在这里，我们展示了来自巴尔干地区 36 个矿化区的 128 个矿石样本的高精度 Pb-Ag-S 同位素数据和微量元素系统学，以及来自定居点的一种半反应矿石（=考古样本）和一种安山岩分析为全岩和钾长石分开。

报告的数据重建了来自上地壳来源的大量预先存在的铅储量的矿体形成，这些铅储量受到构造和交代过程的改造，并最终通过岩浆活动重新活动。铅同位素图建立了与地质特征相关的不同同位素域，并能够在来源研究中加强对潜在金属来源的评估。银同位素强调了包括方铅矿或硫盐矿物在内的热液成因矿石作为主要银载体相的重要性，它们可以将矿床限制在那些实际用作古代铸币金银来源的矿床。我们展示了 Kopaonik 和 Zletovo 地区（塞尔维亚、科索沃和北马其顿）富含含银方铅矿矿石的 Ag 同位素特征和银含量，