COPPER ORE MINING IN THE BRONZE AGE IN MUGOJARY* The results of geoarchaeological studies are presented at 19 copper ore objects of the Mugodzhar Mining and Metallurgical Center, which developed four types of copper ores that differ in geological position, structure of ore bodies, reserves of the useful component, mineral and chemical composition. The geographical coordinates and main parameters of mine workings (morphology, size of quarries and ore bodies) are indicated, and the scale of development is determined. A detailed description of eight of the most typical Bronze Age mines is given. The age of individual workings is determined. The total amount of ore extracted from the studied ore fields is estimated at 55 thousand tons, of which about 1.75 thousand tons of copper could have been obtained. Keywords: Mugodzhar Mining and Metallurgical Center, Bronze Age mines, composition of copper ores, calculation of the amount of extracted material. Introduction Mugodzhary - the southern end of the Ural geological structure-is important for archaeology as a borderline Euro-Asian region, where the history of human habitation and activity can be traced over a huge time interval starting from Acheulean (Derevyanko et al., 2001). Among the archaeological sites of the Bronze Age, copper mines are of particular interest as a source of metal for the population of not only this territory. The history of mining in the Bronze Age of the Urals is reflected in a number of publications. The authors distinguish four mining and metallurgical centers in this region: the Priuralsky (Kargalinsky) one with famous deposits of copper sandstones, the Middle Urals with malachite deposits, the Trans-Ural and Mugodzhar deposits (Chernykh, 1970, 2007; Grigoriev, 2000; Zaikov et al., 2005; Tkachev, 2011a). The article is devoted to the results of the latter's research covering Mugodzhary and part of the Southern Trans-Urals. * The work was carried out within the framework of the interdisciplinary ... Читать далее