Seven copper ores from ancient mining areas were smelted in a furnace modelled on the type found at Timna, Israel, and dating to about 3000 BC. The behavior of up to 49 trace elements introduced from the ore, the fuel and the fluxes was detd. By analysis of metal and slags. Most ores were capable of giving Cu of high purity; loss of trace elements increases with smelting temp., but Cu high in As and Ni could be obtained from artificial ores. Results show that Chalcolithic technology was able to smelt a wide variety of Cu ores to produce Cu of high purity except for Fe, which can be removed by further refining. The remaining elements are present at the parts/10³ level. Wood fuels contribute little to the trace element pattern. Comparison is made between the trace element pattern resulting from these expts. And material from archaeol. Sites in the vicinity of the mining areas. -- AATA