Since the mid-1970s a Bronze Age assemblage of metal objects has been recovered from the seabed off the south Devon coast at Salcombe, southwest England. The assemblage spans two suspected shipwreck events and comprises nearly 400 pieces of raw materials and finished artefacts, primarily in copper, tin, bronze and gold. Among these are 280 copper and 40 tin ingots, by far the largest discovery of Bronze Age ingots in either metal from northwestern Europe. Research in recent years revealed the microstructural and chemical nature of the ingots and enabled some preliminary conclusions on the metals trade in Europe in the Later Bronze Age. The present study aims to extend this knowledge by determining the tin, copper and lead isotopic compositions of the ingots using HR-MC-ICP-MS. In addition, bronze artefacts (swords, rapiers, palstaves and weights) from the Salcombe site are included in the multi-proxy approach in order to investigate their history and the possible relationships between finished products and ingots. In combination with the available chemical data of previous studies, the current results of the tin metal show that most likely two tin sources in southwest Britain supplied the ore for their production. This also sheds light on Late Bronze Age tin ingots from Israel that share the same geochemical characteristics with one group of the finds from Salcombe. Although the tin in the bronzes is similar to the tin in the ingots, it is not certain that the latter were used to make the bronzes. Correlations of copper and tin isotopes and trace elements of the bronzes point to a mixing or even recycling of copper-tin alloys rather than the alloying of individual components of copper and tin. However, the copper ingots from the assemblage could have been an additional component in the mixing process given their impurity pattern and isotopic composition. At the same time, a close relationship between swords of the Rosnoën type and palstaves from the cargo is disclosed. Lead isotope ratios for their part suggest Sardinian and/or south Spanish copper ores as a source for both the copper ingots and the copper of the bronzes. This would mean long-distance metal trade in the Later Bronze Age in both cases and would provide new insights into the interpretation of the prehistoric networks in Europe.

Salcombe 现场的 palstaves 和 weights) 包含在多代理方法中，以调查它们的历史以及成品和钢锭之间的可能关系。结合先前研究的可用化学数据，锡金属的当前结果表明，英国西南部很可能有两个锡源为其生产提供了矿石。这也揭示了来自以色列的青铜时代晚期锡锭，这些锡锭与 Salcombe 的一组发现具有相同的地球化学特征。虽然青铜器中的锡与铸锭中的锡相似，但不能肯定后者是用来制作青铜器的。铜和锡同位素与青铜微量元素的相关性表明铜锡合金的混合甚至循环利用，而不是铜和锡的单个成分的合金化。然而，考虑到它们的杂质模式和同位素组成，组合中的铜锭可能是混合过程中的额外成分。同时，揭示了罗斯诺型剑与货物中的帕尔斯塔夫之间的密切关系。就他们而言，铅同位素比率表明撒丁岛和/或西班牙南部的铜矿石是铜锭和青铜铜的来源。这意味着在这两种情况下都将在青铜时代晚期进行长途金属贸易，并将为解释欧洲史前网络提供新的见解。考虑到它们的杂质模式和同位素组成，组合中的铜锭可能是混合过程中的额外成分。同时，揭示了罗斯诺型剑与货物中的帕尔斯塔夫之间的密切关系。就他们而言，铅同位素比率表明撒丁岛和/或西班牙南部的铜矿石是铜锭和青铜铜的来源。这意味着在这两种情况下都将在青铜时代晚期进行长途金属贸易，并将为解释欧洲史前网络提供新的见解。考虑到它们的杂质模式和同位素组成，组合中的铜锭可能是混合过程中的额外成分。同时，揭示了罗斯诺型剑与货物中的帕尔斯塔夫之间的密切关系。就他们而言，铅同位素比率表明撒丁岛和/或西班牙南部的铜矿石是铜锭和青铜铜的来源。这意味着在这两种情况下都将在青铜时代晚期进行长途金属贸易，并将为解释欧洲史前网络提供新的见解。公开了 Rosnoën 型剑与货物中的 palstaves 之间的密切关系。就他们而言，铅同位素比率表明撒丁岛和/或西班牙南部的铜矿石是铜锭和青铜铜的来源。这意味着在这两种情况下都将在青铜时代晚期进行长途金属贸易，并将为解释欧洲史前网络提供新的见解。公开了 Rosnoën 型剑与货物中的 palstaves 之间的密切关系。就他们而言，铅同位素比率表明撒丁岛和/或西班牙南部的铜矿石是铜锭和青铜铜的来源。这意味着在这两种情况下都将在青铜时代晚期进行长途金属贸易，并将为解释欧洲史前网络提供新的见解。