Orichalcum production by ZnO sublimates: standardized briquettes and submerged alloying — a theoretical model

This preprint presents a fully theoretical reconstruction of an alternative Cu–Zn alloying process based on ZnO sublimates compacted into ZnO + carbon briquettes and used through submerged alloying. The model is not supported by experimental replications and does not claim to represent a documented ancient procedure. Its purpose is to provide a coherent, falsifiable framework capable of explaining archaeometric signatures—clean Cu–Zn alloys, stable Zn, variable Pb—that traditional calamine cementation cannot reproduce simultaneously. By publishing this conceptual model, the author establishes intellectual priority for the proposed mechanism and explicitly welcomes collaborations aimed at testing the experimental protocols outlined in the study. In accordance with standard academic norms, any future research, experimental work, or publications that directly build upon, validate, or extend this theoretical framework should acknowledge this contribution and involve the author as a co‑author where the conceptual model forms a substantive part of the new work, regardless of institutional affiliation.