Six Bronze Age mines found in Spain may unlock mystery of Scandinavian metal artifacts

Six previously unknown Bronze Age mines unearthed in southwestern Spain could solve a long-standing archaeological mystery: the origin of the metal used in artifacts found across Scandinavia. The discovery, made during a joint archaeological survey in February 2026, offers significant new insights into ancient European trade and interconnectedness.

The survey, a collaboration between the University of Gothenburg in Sweden and Spain's University of Seville and the Provincial Archaeological Museum of Badajoz, located the mines in the Extremadura region. These sites range from small extraction areas to substantial mining environments. One notable mine near Cabeza del Buey features a seventy-meter-long trench, indicating organized copper-bearing ore extraction.

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The newly discovered Bronze Age mines identified over the past ten years – both by other research teams and through the approximately 20 new mines documented by our research group between 2024 and 2026 – are transforming our understanding of how interconnected Europe was already 3,000 years ago.

Researchers found veins of copper, lead, and silver within the mines, metals crucial to Bronze Age economies. This discovery supports previous analyses of Scandinavian artifacts, which indicated their metal likely originated in southwestern Spain, though the precise location remained elusive until now. Approximately 80 grooved stone axes, used for crushing and processing ores, were also found at one of the smaller mines.

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The discoveries “demonstrate that metal extraction in southwestern Europe was far more extensive and organized than previously recognized.”

Professor Johan Ling of the University of Gothenburg highlighted the importance of these findings, stating that the "newly discovered Bronze Age mines identified over the past ten years... are transforming our understanding of how interconnected Europe was already 3,000 years ago." He added that the discoveries "demonstrate that metal extraction in southwestern Europe was far more extensive and organized than previously recognized" and provide "archaeological context to research pointing to 'long-distance connections during the Bronze Age.'"

Ling believes these mines represent just the "tip of the iceberg," suggesting that metal extraction in the region, including Andalusia, was far more widespread than currently documented. The findings challenge previous assumptions about the scale and organization of Bronze Age mining and trade networks.

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The discovery of the new Bronze Age mines in Extremadura represents only the tip of the iceberg.