# Silver Isotopes in Silver Suggest Phoenician Innovation in Metal Production
## 2 Materials  
Forty-five silver artifacts were selected for Ag isotopic analysis, all of known chemical and Pb isotopic compositions and generally not suspected to be alloyed or mixed with metals from different sources [33]. The results of the LIA of silver from the selected hoards (Figures 1 and 2) and their hoarding conditions are described below. The sampled silver dates to three different sub-periods:  
(1) Middle/Late Bronze Age transitional period in the Southern Levant (MB IIC\(-\)LB I, \(\sim\)1650-1500 BCE): hoards from Shiloh and Tell el-'Ajjul  
The origin of silver in the Shiloh and Tell el-'Ajjul hoards has not been fully determined; however, LIA results suggest Anatolian/Aegegan origin [26]. The Shiloh hoard was bundled and found on the floor of a storeroom [43]. It was not cached in a ceramic vessel. The silver in the Tell el-'Ajjul hoard was not found in bundles and was not hoarded in a ceramic vessel ([44]: 8; pl. XIX-XX). the jewelry in both hoards have Anatolian motifs, supporting the Anatolian origin of the silver within [26; 43].  
The Iron Age II A-B (\(\sim\)950-700 BCE): hoards from Dor, 'Akko, 'Ein Hofez and Arad The Dor and Akko hoards contain silver from the same origins, namely from Iglesiente, SW Sardinia (Dor_108, Dor_126, Dor_127, 'Akko_12, 'Akko_22) and Taurus 1A in Anatolia (Dor_122, Dor_52, 'Akko_13, 'Akko_2, 'Akko_21, 'Akko_5). Both hoards were found in Phoenician contexts and are therefore associated with Phoenician early endeavors to Anatolia and Sardinia in the Iron Age IIA. The silver in the Dor hoard was bundled, while the silver in the 'Akko hoard was not. Both hoards were placed in ceramic vessels and cached below unpaved floors; however, the Dor hoard was covered by a bowl, while the Akko hoard was not [6, 25, 45, 46, 47].  
The 'Ein Hofez and 'Arad hoards contain silver from Iberia. For both hoards, LIA probably indicates the source of the Pb rather than the source of Ag. This is because the silver in Iberia was produced from jarosite at Rio Tinto, and external Pb from several ores around the peninsula was mobilized to Rio Tinto for this process ([6] and refs. within). The Pb from 'Ein Hofez silver sampled here originated mainly from Linares, SW Iberia ('[PERSON]_112, '[PERSON]_164, '[PERSON]_171, '[PERSON]_176, '[PERSON]_91), but also contained Pb from additional origins within Iberia ('[PERSON]_135, '[PERSON]_159, '[PERSON]_166, '[PERSON]_185). One silver item plotted within the Taurus 1A isotopic field, suggesting that it originated from Anatolia ('[PERSON]_289). The Pb from Arad silver sampled here originated from Gador in southeast Iberia. The 'Ein Hofez hoard was not bundled and was found in unsealed ceramic vessels [48]. The 'Arad hoard was found in cloth bundles within a ceramic vessel [49]. Silver throughout the Iron Age IIA-B periods was acquired by the Phoenicians (from Tyre), who were probably the exclusive suppliers of silver to the region [6, 26].  
The Late Iron Age IIC (\(\sim\)630-586 BCE): a hoard from 'Ein Gedi The silver from the 'Ein Gedi hoard originated from Laurion, Greece, and was probably brought to the Levant by East Greek (Ionian) merchants [26]. The hoard was cached in a cooking pot, covered by a ceramic lamp under the floor of a room. The silver was not bundled ([50]; Figure 1).