Interest in the study of early European cultures is growing. These cultures have left us objects made of gold, other metals and ceramics. The advent of metal detectors, coupled with improved analytical techniques, has increased the number of findings of such objects enormously. Gold was used for economic and ceremonial purposes and thus the gold objects are an important key to our understanding of the social and political structures, as well as the technological achievements, of Bronze and Iron Age European societies.
A correct interpretation of the information provided by gold and other metal objects requires the cooperation of experts in the fields of social, materials and natural science. Detailed investigation of gold deposits in Europe have revealed the composition and genesis of the deposits as sources of the metal.
In Prehistoric Gold in Europe , a group of leading European geoscientists, metallurgists and archaeologists discuss the techniques of gold mining and metallurgy, the socioeconomic importance of gold as coinage and a symbol of wealth and status, and as an indicator of religious habits, as well as a mirror of trade and cultural relations mirrored by the distribution and types of gold objects in prehistoric times.

Inhalt
1 Chronology and Climatic Changes in Prehistory.- Notes on a general chronological scheme for Europe.- Outline of climatic and environmental changes in southern central Europe over the past 20,000 years.- 2 Gold and Society.- Considerations on the real and the symbolic value of gold.- Gold and society in prehistoric Europe.- The monetary aspect of gold from prehistoric to modern times.- From gift to commodity: The changing meaning of precious metals in the later Prehistory of the Iberian Peninsula.- The rise and fall of gold metallurgy in the Copper Age of the Carpathian Basin: The background of the change.- Gold and silver during the 3rd Mill. cal. B.C..- 3 Sources of Precious Metals in Europe.- Mineral economics, mineralogy, geochemistry and structure of gold deposits: An overview.- The gold deposits of Europe: An overview of the possible metal sources for prehistoric gold objects.- Accumulation of gold by electrochemical processes.- Ore mining in prehistoric Europe: An overview.- Gold deposits and the archaeological distribution of gold artefacts: A case-study of the La Tène period in the Swiss Midlands.- Gold in the Alps: A view from the south.- Celtic gold mines in west central Gaul.- 4 Gold Metallurgy, Alloying and Chemical Analysis.- The metallurgy of gold and silver in prehistoric times.- Industry in Celtic oppida aspects of high temperature processes.- Coin moulds and other ceramic material: A key to Celtic precious metal working.- Gold analysis: From fire assay to spectroscopy a review.- On non-destructive analysis of gold objects.- Some experiences with the analysis of gold-objects.- A look into the interior of Celtic gold coins.- Electrochemical corrosion of natural gold alloys.- The composition of gold from the ancient miningdistrict of Verespatak/Rosia Montana, Romania.- 5 Manufacture of Gold in Prehistory.- Technical aspects of prehistoric gold objects on the basis of material analyses.- Rotary motion lathe and drill. Some new technological aspects concerning Late Bronze Age goldwork from southwestern Europe.- The appearance of black patinated copper-gold alloys in the Mediterranean area in the Second Millenium B.C. Material characterization and problem of origin.- Sintering, welding, brazing and soldering as bonding techniques in Etruscan and Celtic goldsmithing.- Gold wire techniques of Europe and the Mediterranean around 300 B.C..- The gold from Arrabalde.- Celtic goldwork in the Iberian Peninsula.- Gold in Early Bronze Age graves from Denmark and Schleswig-Holstein.- Bronze Age gold in Britain.- The ceremonial jewellery from the Regolini-Galassi tomb in Cerveteri. Some ideas concerning the workshop.- La Tène gold and silver in Italy: A review of the archaeological evidence.- Celtic gold in Bohemia.- New Aspects on Celtic coin hoards in southern Germany.