As a recognized part of UNESCO’s Memory of the World International Register, the Nebra Sky Disk is one of the few most important archaeological discoveries in the history of the world. For a better understanding of the Sky Disk, the origins of the metals from which it was made, are of utmost importance. Other than the origin of the copper and tin, the origin of the gold remained unclear, despite years of intensive research and search throughout Central Europe. Only a look at the region of origin of the tin, Cornwall, brought promising results.

The question of the geological origin of the gold goes far beyond establishing the similarity of the gold composition, i.e. the matching geochemical fingerprint between the gold of the Sky Disk and the Carnon River gold nuggets. Only the reconstruction of the metallogenesis of the Carnon gold nuggets from the geologically unusual and geochemically particularly distinctive primary ores of one of the Cornish granite intrusions and its special country rocks completes the understanding of the entire »journey« that the gold of the sky disk has travelled. The present volume provides a detailed insight into the geoarchaeological and mineralogi­cal research that is necessary, both in the field and in the laboratory, to unravel such complex and interdisciplinary relationships.

Inhaltsverzeichnis:

Gregor Borg and Harald Meller
• From the Mountains through the Rivers to the Sky – the Carnon River Mining District in Cornwall as source for the gold of the Sky Disk of Nebra

Nicolas Meyer
• Petrological investigations of polymetallic vein deposits and auriferous tin placer deposits of the Carnon River Mining District, Cornwall

Abstract

Acknowledgements

Introduction
• Regional geology
• Location and history of the deposits

Methodology
• Hard rock samples
• Placer sample locations
• Gold Nuggets Extraction
• Geochemical Analyses
• Optical Microscopy
• Scanning Electron Microscope/EDX-Analysis

Results
• The Nangiles Mine
• The Poldice Mine
• Results from stream sediment samples

Discussion
• Paragenetical evolution of the mineral composition of the Nangiles Mine and the Poldice Mine
• Interpretation of paragenetic evolution and mineral chemistry data
• Geochemical composition of hard rock samples
• Origin and modification of micro-nuggets
• Interpretation of stream sediment samples

Conclusions
• Metallogenetic conclusions
• Geoarchaeological resume

Bibliography
Source of figures
List of abbreviation
Mineral abbreviation and composition
Appendix