The authors of this article consider the relationship in European prehistory between the procurement of high-quality stones (for axeheads, daggers, and other tools) on the one hand, and the early mining, crafting, and deposition of copper on the other. The data consist of radiocarbon dates for the exploitation of stone quarries, flint mines, and copper mines, and of information regarding the frequency through time of jade axeheads and copper artefacts. By adopting a broad perspective, spanning much of central-western Europe from 5500 to 2000 bc, they identify a general pattern in which the circulation of the first copper artefacts was associated with a decline in specialized stone quarrying. The latter re-emerged in certain regions when copper use decreased, before declining more permanently in the Bell Beaker phase, once copper became more generally available. Regional variations reflect the degrees of connectivity among overlapping copper exchange networks. The patterns revealed are in keeping with previous understandings, refine them through quantification and demonstrate their cyclical nature, with additional reference to likely local demographic trajectories.

中文翻译：

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公元前 5500-2000 年欧洲石材开采和铜循环的周期：从太空看

本文的作者一方面考虑了欧洲史前时期优质石头（用于斧头、匕首和其他工具）的采购与早期铜的开采、加工和沉积之间的关系。这些数据包括开采采石场、燧石矿和铜矿的放射性碳日期，以及有关玉斧头和铜制品随时间变化的频率的信息。通过采用广泛的视角，从 5500 年到 2000 年跨越了中西欧的大部分地区公元前，他们确定了一种普遍模式，其中第一批铜制品的流通与专业采石业的下降有关。当铜使用量减少时，后者在某些地区重新出现，然后在贝尔烧杯阶段更持久地下降，一旦铜变得更普遍可用。区域差异反映了重叠铜交换网络之间的连通程度。揭示的模式与先前的理解保持一致，通过量化对其进行改进并展示其周期性，并额外参考可能的当地人口轨迹。