Overview

• An international team reports in PLOS One that multi-proxy isotopes of copper, tin, lead and osmium were used to source metals in 48 Nuragic bronzetti.
• Copper was chiefly Sardinian with occasional Iberian mixing, while osmium data exclude Levantine sources such as Timna and Faynan.
• Tin and lead signatures indicate non-local supplies, with tin probably imported from the Iberian Peninsula rather than drawn from Sardinian deposits.
• Comparisons across bronzetti from major Nuragic shrine sites show closely similar metal recipes, pointing to island-wide production practices or shared metal circulation.
• The findings position Sardinia as a significant node in Bronze Age exchange networks and prompt fresh inquiry into cultural links suggested by horned-helmet motifs in southern Scandinavia.