The copper extraction process at Cerro de los Almadenes. New hypotheses and reconsiderations through a comparative study

Abstract

The metallurgical installation found at Cerro de los Almadenes (Otero de Herreros, Segovia) has allowed us to understand the different parts of the copper production process: extraction of the ore, crushing, washing, roasting and smelting. Of the latter, the set of ten reduction furnaces stands out. However, there are still doubts about this process, so by comparing it with the metallurgical installations both on the Iberian Peninsula and in other places further away in time and space, such as those found in Autun (France) and Ayn Soukhna (Egypt) has allowed us to access a whole range of explanations about how and where these same operations could have been carried out, as well as to propose future lines of work.