News Archaeology

British tin might have fueled the rise of some Bronze Age civilizations

Large amounts of Bronze Age tin may have come from Cornwall and Devon, a new study suggests

The small British island of Saint Michael's Mount pictured from a nearby beach, with trees and buildings dotting the small island in golden light

A contested new report concludes that tin from southwestern Britain proved essential for Late Bronze Age societies. Coastal British sites such as Saint Michael’s Mount, shown here, may have served as tin trading centers, researchers say.

Helmut Hess/Moment/Getty Images

By Bruce Bower

Where Bronze Age civilizations got large amounts of tin, a scarce metal, to mix with copper into the era’s namesake gold-colored metal has long puzzled archaeologists.