Emergence of monopoly-Copper exchange networks during the Late Bronze Age in the western and central Balkans
This study found that copper from the southern Alps (Trentino region, Italy) was the primary source for bronze objects in the western and central Balkans during the Late Bronze Age (14th-9th c. BC), challenging previous assumptions about local ore usage. This suggests a vast, sustained raw material procurement network from the Alps to the Balkans, despite limited evidence for other cultural exchange during this period.