The study of the characterisation and provenance of coins and other metalwork using XRF, PIXE and Activation Analysis

Guerra, Maria

doi:10.1016/b978-044450487-6/50063-8

Cited by 24 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…It can be easily observed that the spirals contain large amounts of silver (11% on average) and very small amounts of copper (0.9% on average). This compositional pattern is consistent with the one of natural gold, which contains up to 40% silver and up to 1% copper (Guerra, 2000;Tylecote, 1987).…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 66%

Dacian bracelets and Transylvanian gold: ancient history and modern analyses

Constantinescu¹,

Bugoi²,

Cojocaru³

et al. 2009

archeosciences

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Bogdan Constantinescu*, Roxana Bugoi*, Viorel Cojocaru*, Martin Radtke**, Thomas Calligaro***, Joseph Salomon***, Laurent Pichon***, Stefan Röhrs***, Daniele Ceccato****, Ernest Oberländer-Târnoveanu*****, Corine Ionescu****** and Dana Pop******* Abstract:The recovery of the Dacian gold bracelets was the most thrilling archaeological event of the last years in Romania. The artefacts are exhibited in the Historical Treasure section of the National History Museum of Romania, Bucharest, being recovered from the international antique markets through a concerted effort of the Romanian, French, and German authorities. This paper reviews the X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) analyses carried out on these exquisite artefacts. These measurements followed the visual examination of qualified experts, which concluded that the gold spiralled bracelets showed strong stylistic similarities with the Dacian silver bracelets discovered until that date in archaeological contexts.Since the most likely source -for geographical and historical reasons -for the metal used to manufacture these artefacts was the Transylvanian Apuseni mountains, additional measurements on several fragments of natural Transylvanian gold, both from placers and primary deposits, were performed using Synchrotron Radiation X-ray Fluorescence (SR-XRF) at the BESSY synchrotron, Berlin, and micro Particle Induced X-ray Emission (micro-PIXE) at the AGLAE accelerator, Paris, and at the AN2000 accelerator of LNL, Padova. The conclusion of this study was that the recovered spirals are genuine Dacian artefacts, made by cold hammering, chiselling and punching Transylvanian unrefined gold -gold panned from riverbeds mixed with primary gold, most likely extracted from surface veins. Résumé : La saisie des bracelets en or de Dacie a été un des événements archéologiques les plus remarquables de ces dernières années en

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 66%

Dacian bracelets and Transylvanian gold: ancient history and modern analyses

Constantinescu¹,

Bugoi²,

Cojocaru³

et al. 2009

archeosciences

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“…We have also to consider the re-cycling and re-use of gold and the subsequent loss of information on trace elements. The debasement of gold by addition of silver and/or copper ores complicates the fingerprinting [20].…”

Section: Gold Oresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gold traces to trace gold

Guerra

Calligaro

2004

Journal of Archaeological Science

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“…In case of the object C bands recorded at two different locations not covered with the protective wax layer indicate similarly to A the presence of antlerite, calcium carbonate and carbon -see The Cu 3 SO 4 (OH) 4 represents the corrosion product of the Cu substrate, and the presence of the carbon layer is due to prolonged deposition of atmospheric contamination (soot) 1,17 . The CaCO 3 (calcite) originates most probably from remnants of the extender which mixed together with oil and with Fe or Pb oxides was used as ground layer typically applied in the gilding technology.…”

Section: Surface Contamination and Patina Layersmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…The recent case studies and reviews confirm that among analytical tools the laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), and also the Raman and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) techniques belong to the most reliable ones and are broadly applied in analysis and conservation studies [1][2][3][4][5][6] . These techniques are characterized by a high sensitivity (tens of ppm), non-destructive interaction with the object (micro-destructive in case of LIBS), immediate results, and possibility of the in-situ analysis.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

LIBS and Raman spectroscopic investigation of historical copper alloy objects

Żmuda–Trzebiatowska

Śliwiński

2015

SPIE Proceedings

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Results of spectroscopic investigation of the historical copper and copper alloy objects covered by patina and surface contamination are reported and discussed in this work. For analysis of the surface layers (bulk material, primer/grounding, patina and atmospheric contamination) the Laser Induced Breakdown (LIBS), Raman and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopic techniques are used. Useful data on chemical structure and composition are obtained from stratigraphic analysis performed by a stepwise layer penetration with successive laser pulses. The LIBS, XRF and Raman spectra confirm the presence of patina and contamination layers of the compositions influenced by the atmospheric environment. The elemental composition reveals in the case of the original copper substrate the presence of Cu with traces of Ag and Sb, and of impurities Fe and Pb, while objects made of copper alloys (brass) show different Zn/Cu ratios greater than 20% in all cases and admixtures of Sn and Pb. Consistent results are obtained from the elemental and Raman data indicating presence of the antlerite (Cu 3 (OH) 4 SO 4 ), carbon and microcrystalline calcite which are ascribed to patina, surface contamination (atmospheric soot) and primer layers, respectively. INTRODUCTIONFor historical metal objects the elemental and chemical compositions are of key importance in studies on the production technologies and can provide useful data on the origin (authentication), provenance and routing. The recent case studies and reviews confirm that among analytical tools the laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), and also the Raman and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) techniques belong to the most reliable ones and are broadly applied in analysis and conservation studies 1-6 . These techniques are characterized by a high sensitivity (tens of ppm), non-destructive interaction with the object (micro-destructive in case of LIBS), immediate results, and possibility of the in-situ analysis. In course of the LIBS micro-sampling the spectra of laser-ablated and vaporized material are acquired. The thickness of the ablated layer lies obviously in the range of 1-3 m and the depth resolution can be controlled to some degree by the laser pulse parameters 7,8 . The LIBS performed repeatedly at the same location on the surface delivers data on elemental composition of the material in dependence on the penetration depth. In case of XRF the spectrum corresponds to the surface layer of a thickness depending on the penetration depth of the focused X-ray beam which varies from several up to tens of micrometers when going from metals to e.g. minerals. This may cause difficulties in the correct interpretation of the results, because the presence of elements detected in the uppermost surface layers including corrosion products, patina and contaminations is revealed in the spectrum.In this work the LIBS, XRF and also Raman spectroscopic techniques are used in frames of the running conservation project for investigation of the surface layers of historical objects made of copper and co...

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The study of the characterisation and provenance of coins and other metalwork using XRF, PIXE and Activation Analysis

Cited by 24 publications

References 41 publications

Dacian bracelets and Transylvanian gold: ancient history and modern analyses

Dacian bracelets and Transylvanian gold: ancient history and modern analyses

Gold traces to trace gold

LIBS and Raman spectroscopic investigation of historical copper alloy objects

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