Our understanding of Early Bronze Age copper smelting in the Southern Aegean has improved dramatically in the last two decades through a combination of fieldwork, laboratory analyses and experimental reconstructions. The current model which has emerged from these various studies centers on a perforated furnace stack that is used in conjunction with ceramic pot bellows. This study undertakes a critique of the current model and through a series of experimental reconstructions and the analysis of results suggests that the current model has conflated various strands of evidence and resulted in a confused model. It is argued here that primary copper production in the Early Bronze Age Southern Aegean was more likely a two-stage process that did not rely on the simultaneous use of natural draught and bellows. Along with other examples of wind-powered furnaces, the working of the Aegean perforated furnace is reconsidered and a new model proposed along with a consideration of the wider implications.

中文翻译：

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随风飘扬：青铜时代早期爱琴海初级冶金的开始

在过去的二十年里，通过实地考察、实验室分析和实验重建，我们对南爱琴海早期青铜时代铜冶炼的了解有了显着提高。从这些各种研究中出现的当前模型集中在与陶瓷波纹管一起使用的穿孔炉堆上。本研究对当前模型进行了批判，并通过一系列实验重建和结果分析表明，当前模型将各种证据混为一谈，导致模型混乱。这里有人认为，早期青铜时代南爱琴海的初级铜生产更可能是一个不依赖于同时使用自然通风和波纹管的两阶段过程。