Une tuyère du Bronze ancien à la Bastide Neuve II (Velaux, Bouches-du-Rhône). Un témoin d’activité métallurgique en contexte domestique en Provence occidentale ? Remarques sur les tuyères en céramique d’Europe occidentale

摘要

During an archaeological diagnosis conducted at Bastide Neuve II (Velaux, Bouches-du-Rhône) an Early Bronze Age fire pit yielded a conical and perforated ceramic object which is usually named “ tuyère” in French literature. This new discovery provided an opportunity to take stock of these objects in Western Europe. Their role in ancient metallurgy is confirmed by their discovery contexts (workshops for the reduction or fusion of copper and its alloys, metalworkers’ burials, etc.) but their function will be discussed. Their morphological characteristics allow three main types to be identified. For two of them we propose a functional difference corresponding to blowpipe nozzles and bellow nozzles, the latter matching the model from Bastide Neuve II. The distribution of both these types during the Early Bronze Age allows hypotheses to be proposed regarding the origin and diffusion of metallurgical techniques in Western Europe.