Extraction of archaeological information from metallic artefacts—A neutron diffraction study on Viking swords

Fedrigo, Anna; Grazzi, Francesco; Williams, Alan; Panzner, Tobias; Lefmann, Kim; Lindelöf, P. E.; Jorgensen, Lars R.; Pentz, Peter; Scherillo, A.; Porcher, Florence; Ströbl, Markus

doi:10.1016/j.jasrep.2017.02.014

Cited by 11 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…Sampling possibilities being very limited in case of museum artefact, thus other approaches are needed. Non-invasive methods such as diffraction techniques, using neutrons [7][8][9][10][11] or X-rays, are well suited to identify the different phases, characteristic of ancient ferrous alloys, such as ferrite and cementite (Fe3C). They can also provide crucial information on the heat treatment and manufacturing techniques thanks to the study of peak shapes and broadening.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

First examinations of ancient ferrous alloys in Renaissance armour by SR-X-Ray diffraction

et al. 2023

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The paper aims at understanding the nature of ferrous alloys used for the fabrication of Renaissance armour in a Nuremberg workshop, owned by Valentin Siebenbürger. Noninvasive techniques such as X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) using synchrotron radiation (SR) are well suited to identify the different crystalline phases, characteristic of ancient ferrous alloys, avoiding multiple sampling, rarely allowed in the case of museum pieces. However, such experiment presented analytical challenge due to the complex shape of armours. Our goal was to demonstrate the feasibility of SR-XRD measurement to identify mineral phases contained in ferrous alloys (cementite, ferrite, martensite…) on large and complete museum amour pieces and provide new insights on Renaissance armour manufacturing. The study allowed identifying phases characteristic of ancient ferrous alloys (ferrite, cementite …) but also the presence of heat treatment, on some armour plates, giving new information on manufacturing technique and workshop organization.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

First examinations of ancient ferrous alloys in Renaissance armour by SR-X-Ray diffraction

et al. 2023

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“…Time of Flight (ToF) neutron diffraction (ND) experiments were run at the Italian Neutron Experimental Station (INES) of the ISIS spallation neutron source (UK), the ToF technique being a general method for determining the kinetic energy of a neutron, by measuring the time it takes to travel between neutron source and detector the distance of which is known. The INES beamline is designed and optimized for archaeometric measurements [10], where non-destructive studies in archaeometallurgy were conducted recently [ [11], [12], [13], [14]]. ND was carried out also on the General Materials Diffractometer GEM at ISIS [15].…”

Section: Experimental Techniquesmentioning

confidence: 99%

A multidisciplinary non-destructive study of historical pipe organ fragments

Martino

Cippo

Kockelmann

et al. 2019

Materials Characterization

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“…Nondestructive methods were carried out on swords coming from different time periods (from the iron age to the renaissance) to obtain chemical analyses [10][11][12] and combined with X-ray radiograph to observe inscriptions and traces of welding at the joint of the hilt and the blade [5]. In addition, many studies addressed the issue of ironmaking throughout history with neutron diffraction techniques, by the analysis of the microstructural features obtained through the diffraction patterns [13][14][15][16]. However, these techniques are very complex and require very sophisticated instrumentation that cannot be affordable to anyone.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Archaeometallurgical Analyses on Two Renaissance Swords from the “Luigi Marzoli” Museum in Brescia: Manufacturing and Provenance

Mori

Ghiara

Montis³

et al. 2021

Heritage

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Two Venetian types of swords coming from the “Luigi Marzoli” Arms Museum in Brescia were characterized in this study, to understand their manufacturing process and to gather information about their provenance. Both the blades and the hilts components are analyzed using a multi-methodological approach, to describe possible differences in the metallurgical features that involved classical metallographic and spectroscopic techniques. Microstructural results indicate a complex process for the manufacturing of the blades, by hot-forging, confirmed by a sequence of different microstructures even on the same sample. Furthermore, an interesting and unusual manufacturing technique is used on one of the pommels, which consists of two hemispheres connected by copper joints. Hypothesis about the ironmaking and the provenience of raw materials are obtained by the features and composition of the inclusions. It is suggested that there is the use of both a direct and an indirect process on the swords. It is likely that the minerals used to obtain iron and copper of the swords come from the mines of the Brescia and Bergamo territories. All the hypotheses are consistent with the historical documents of the time that also give information on the diffusion of such swords in the Brescia area.

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Extraction of archaeological information from metallic artefacts—A neutron diffraction study on Viking swords

Cited by 11 publications

References 15 publications

First examinations of ancient ferrous alloys in Renaissance armour by SR-X-Ray diffraction

First examinations of ancient ferrous alloys in Renaissance armour by SR-X-Ray diffraction

A multidisciplinary non-destructive study of historical pipe organ fragments

Archaeometallurgical Analyses on Two Renaissance Swords from the “Luigi Marzoli” Museum in Brescia: Manufacturing and Provenance

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