Analytical study of Bronze Age goldwork from Northwest Iberia

Guerra, Maria; Tissot, Isabel

doi:10.1016/j.jasrep.2021.103117

Cited by 6 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…As the amount of copper is not provided, this collar is represented in the diagram by a line. Neither the collar from Agolada, the only known gold sheet ornament with Llorens, Montero Ruiz and Consuegra Rodríguez, 1977;Hartmann, 1982;Guerra and Tissot, 2021). The lines represent the amount of Cu in the collar from Saint-Père-de-Retz, not mentioned by Parenteau (1878), and the range given by Hartmann (1982) for the amounts of Ag contained in the fragment from Caldas de Reis.…”

Section: The Gold Alloys: Results and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…The amounts of silver and copper obtained for this ornament are compared to those published for comparable objects in Figure 13. These are the sheet collars with cut parallel bands from Quinta do Vale dos Moinhos and Rondossec, analysed by Hartmann (1982), the two sheet collars from Monte dos Mouros, analysed by Guerra and Tissot (2021), and the fragment contained in hoard 1 of Caldas de Reis, analysed by Hartmann (1982). The results published by Rovira Llorens, Montero Ruiz and Consuegra Rodríguez (1997) for the ring from Mata'l Casare was also taken into account, as well as the information given on the collar from Saint-Pèrede-Retz by Parenteau (1878, p.74): "...en or martelé allié à de l' argent dans la proportion d'un 8ème..." (in hammered gold alloyed with silver in the proportion of one-eighth).…”

Section: The Gold Alloys: Results and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Gold can be recovered by simple panning and washing in alluvial deposits, which are considered the earliest sources of gold in the Iberian Peninsula (details in e.g. Guerra and Tissot, 2021). Native gold is, however, an alloy containing variable amounts of silver and sometimes small amounts of copper (Boyle, 1987;Butt, Hough and Verrall, 2020;Chapman, et al, 2021) that give to the collected nuggets, dust and flakes variable optical properties, i.e.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Indeed, although Hartmann (1982) analysed quite a large number of Iberian objects, the elemental composition of several significant pieces from North Portugal and NW Spain remained unknown until recently (e.g. Martinón-Torres and Ladra, 2018;García-Vuelta, Montero Ruiz and Villa Valdés, 2020;Guerra and Tissot, 2021;Armada and García-Vuelta, 2021) and the composition of many others remains to be studied. We investigated four hitherto overlooked gold objects and an incompletely analysed hoard from NW Portugal.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Analytical Study of Overlooked Bronze Age and Iron Age Goldwork from Northwest Portugal

Tissot

Guerra

2022

METALLA

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To gain further insight into the use of native gold and intentional gold alloys during the Bronze Age in Northwest Portugal, jewellery in the collections of three Portuguese museums was studied using an in-house built portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometer. Among the analysed objects are the Late Bronze Age bracelet from Monte Airoso (Viseu) and the Iron Age tubular bracelet from Regoufe (Aveiro). To shed more light on the manufacture of gold bracelets, have also been analysed all the components (bracelets, wires and bands) of the hoard of Arnozela (Braga), so far incompletely studied. The results obtained show that from the Middle Bronze Age onwards gold containing 8-11 wt.% silver is used, to which gradually increasing amounts of copper seem to have been added over time. These results support a heterogeneous chronology for the components of the hoard of Arnozela and show that the bracelet from Monte Airoso is made from an intentional gold alloy used in the Portuguese area during the Late Bronze Age. On the contrary, the bracelet from Regoufe is made from native gold without addition of copper. This could indicate that at least during a certain period the goldsmiths used both native gold as found and intentional alloys.Two other objects, discussed on the light of the data obtained for the bracelets, complete the study. One of them is one of the two Portuguese Early Bronze Age gold sheet ornaments with cut parallel bands (so-called gargantilha de tiras), found in Braga. Without obvious signs of use-wear like other ornaments of the same type, and made, as expected, with gold hammered into sheet, this ornament is made from an alloy that seems to correspond to a later period using gold from another origin. Finally, the composition of some of the components of the Late Bronze Age-Iron Age string from Malhada (Vila Real), a set of gold decorated plaques made from punched gold sheet by using different and asymmetrical punches, supports the addition of small amounts of copper to gold to produce intentional alloys.

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Section: The Gold Alloys: Results and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: The Gold Alloys: Results and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Analytical Study of Overlooked Bronze Age and Iron Age Goldwork from Northwest Portugal

Tissot

Guerra

2022

METALLA

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“…Others are heavy. Among those found in the Iberian Peninsula (Garcia Bellido, 2011), often containing objects spanning a long chronology (Guerra & Tissot, 2021; Perea, 1994; Pingel, 1992), is the Treasure of Caldas de Reis, which weighs 15 kg, but whose initial weight is unknown (Ruiz‐Galvez, 1995). Frequently sold by weight to goldsmiths for recycling (Cardozo, 1937), many of these objects and hoards have been melted down, at unspecified times.…”

Section: Dazzling Shining Goldmentioning

confidence: 99%

On gold recycling. A physicochemical point of view

Guerra

2021

Archaeometry

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Perceived as a material and a colour, gold has assumed major societal roles. It has been used as a medium of exchange and in the production of objects with cultural, social and religious meanings. Being a finite resource, gold has often been subjected to recycling processes. Over time, some objects were reused to make new objects and others were melted down to use the resulting gold as raw material. These operations can be approached using an appropriate analytical protocol. Analytical challenges raised by studies on the reuse and recycling of gold are discussed in the given examples, some of them focusing on coins and others on jewellery and ritual objects. To illustrate the different levels of analytical difficulty, some of these objects were made during times of gold scarcity and others in periods of gold influx.

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Analytical study of Bronze Age goldwork from Northwest Iberia

Cited by 6 publications

References 42 publications

Analytical Study of Overlooked Bronze Age and Iron Age Goldwork from Northwest Portugal

Analytical Study of Overlooked Bronze Age and Iron Age Goldwork from Northwest Portugal

On gold recycling. A physicochemical point of view

New insight into Bronze Age goldwork from northern Portugal. Bracelets, spirals and torcs from the region of Vila Real

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