Recent chemical and isotopic analysis in Nordic Bronze Age tools and weapons indicates that important sources of their metal were ancient copper mines near Aberystwyth in Mid Wales from 2100–1700 BC and Great Orme in North Wales from 1700–1400 BC. After 1400 BC Great Orme declines steeply and sources from south-west Europe are involved, possibly Sardinia, more probably the metal-rich Iberian Peninsula. These discoveries raise many questions. In what form was the copper traded? Was tin from Cornwall added at the start? Was transport entirely by sea from Britain’s west coast or overland to the North Sea? Who moved the metal? What happened at the transition of 1400/1300 BC? Was it connected to the newly discovered North–South genetic equalisation of 1300–800 BC?

This book presents chapters that collectively attempt to answer these questions. The chapters are the result of a three-day workshop organised in Aberystwyth during June 2023. Chapters by international experts address fieldwork conducted at the site of Great Orme, contextualise Great Orme in comparison with Bronze Age Great Britain, discuss the scientific analysis of artefacts made with copper from Great Orme, model the transport of copper between Great Orme and other points in Europe, analyse linguistic evidence for Bronze Age interactions connected to the social phenomena associated with Great Orme, and discuss the social organisation of copper production associated with this important site.

This will be the most up to date and extensive volume on both the Great Orme copper mine, and metal trade along the Atlantic façade of Europe during the Bronze Age. The book will be an indispensable volume for anyone working on metal trade during the Bronze Age in Europe, Bronze Age Europe more broadly, or the political economy of maritime societies.