Characterization of Dyrrhachium silver coins by micro-PIXE method

Uzonyi, I.; Bugoi, Roxana; Sasianu, A.; Kiss, Á.Z.; Constantinescu, B.; Torbágyi, Melinda

doi:10.1016/s0168-583x(99)00967-2

Cited by 22 publications

(8 citation statements)

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“…Documentation of the spatial heterogeneity of ancient silver has been demonstrated for S, Cu, and Bi in metal grains, and silicon oxide and iron oxide inclusions have been documented, particularly in primary (non-remelted and re-cast) metal (Giovannelli et al , 2005). Similarly, Fe, Zn, Au, Hg, and Pb have been shown to exhibit spatial variability at scales of 0.02–0.2 mm (Uzonyi et al , 2000, their Fig. 3; Kantarelou et al , 2011).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial variability of elements in ancient Greek (ca. 600–250 BC) silver coins using scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectrometry (SEM-EDS) and time of flight-secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS)

Marjo

Davis²,

Gong

et al. 2017

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Archaeometrists use a variety of analytical methods to determine trace elements in ancient Greek silver coins, for provenance studies, understanding social and technological change, and authentication. One analytical problem which is little documented is understanding the horizontal spatial heterogeneity of coin elemental composition in micro-sampled areas, which are usually assumed to be uniform. This study analysed ten ancient Greek coins representative of silver circulating in the Aegean region in the sixth to third centuries BC. Scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectrometry was used to map the spatial distribution of elements on coins that were abraded to remove the patina. Time of flight-secondary ion mass spectrometry was then conducted on selected coins, mapping an area ~100 × 100 µm and depth profiling from 0 to 10 µm. These data revealed the three-dimensional elemental complexity of the coins, in particular, the heterogeneity both in the patina and beneath it. These data will guide future authentication and provenance studies of larger sample sets of ancient Greek coins including the use of line scanning for laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry data collection rather than spot analyses, and non-destructive analytical techniques such as X-ray fluorescence spectrometry.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial variability of elements in ancient Greek (ca. 600–250 BC) silver coins using scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectrometry (SEM-EDS) and time of flight-secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS)

Marjo

Davis²,

Gong

et al. 2017

Powder Diffr.

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“…The materials that constitute these objects can reveal important technological and environmental features that enhance knowledge about their history, manufacturing, style and archaeological environment. For example, the chemical composition of the alloy may provide insights into the manufacturing procedure (Pitarch et al 2011), the presence or absence of trace elements might point to possible sources of raw material or mints (Linke et al 2004;Šmit and Šemrov 2006;Birch et al 2019), while chronological and quantitative analyses of groups of coins from a particular period may serve to clarify economic evolution and development of production processes (Uzonyi et al 2000).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Several analytical approaches have been employed over the years to provide qualitative or quantitative answers to archaeologists, historians and numismatic researchers. These have included destructive (Nir-El 1997) or non-destructive procedures (Linke et al 2004;Pitarch et al 2011), surface (Uzonyi et al 2000;Šmit and Šemrov 2006) or all-encompassing (Gordus 1967;Rosenberg 1985) methods, or various combinations of them. Earlier studies on the physico-chemical properties of historic coins involved the use of neutrons to perform analyses of entire coins (Brown and Tindall 1979).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Earlier studies on the physico-chemical properties of historic coins involved the use of neutrons to perform analyses of entire coins (Brown and Tindall 1979). Particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE) continues to be one of the preferred methods for studying the chemical composition of historic metal alloys (Uzonyi et al 2000;Denker et al 2004;Šmit and Šemrov 2006), mainly due to its good accuracy, high sensitivity and low detection limits (Linke et al 2003). X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometry has become an essential tool in the cultural heritage field for studying the composition of metal alloys (Sándor et al 2000;Milazzo 2004;Constantinescu et al 2005), mainly due to its rapid, multi-elemental and non-destructive nature.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Multi‐technical study of silver denars from medieval Poland for an improved understanding of their archaeological context and provenance

et al. 2020

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This paper discusses a methodology that involves the use of X-ray fluorescence (XRF), high-energy particle-induced X-ray emission (HE-PIXE) and high-energy particle-induced γ-ray emission (HE-PIGE) spectroscopies for the study of historic denars with the aim of describing the advantages and limitations of each technique as well as arriving at an archaeometric interpretation of the compositions. A total of 39 medieval Polish denars minted by kings Bolesław the Brave and Mieszko II Lambert were analysed for their elemental composition. While XRF is limited to the analysis of the material close to the object's surface, high-energy ion-beam analysis (HE-IBA) was used to obtain information from Cu at a relatively larger depth. The major elements detected were Ag and Cu, while the minor elements were Pb, Au, Bi and Zn. An evaluation of the results obtained with the different techniques shows that the content of Cu near the surface is different from the bulk composition of the coins. The obtained elemental composition was used to proliferate the understanding of chronological changes in the production of early medieval Polish denars.

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“…Currently, non‐destructive analytical approaches are preferred for scientific investigation, because the subject of analysis can be very expensive, rare or even unique (during non‐destructive measurement, the material of the coin is not modified). Proton‐induced X‐ray emission (PIXE) has recently become popular for the analysis of silver coins in various historical contexts (Smit and Kos ; Meyer and Demortier ; Hajivaliei et al ; Dacca et al ; Uzonyi et al ; Flament and Marchetti ; Smit and Semrov ). On the other hand, coins damaged by corrosion processes and their fragments can commonly be analysed by destructive methods as well, reflecting the metal composition of the whole material of the coin.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Determination of the Fineness of Medieval Coins—Evaluation of Methods in a Case Study of a Medieval Pfennig

et al. 2017

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The original fineness of coins is very important information that can help us to understand the commercial situation in a wide historical context. This paper deals with a comparison of analytical methods suitable for the evaluation of the actual and original fineness of coins based on a detailed case study of a medieval coin sample. Both non-destructive (i.e., scanning electron microscopy/energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray fluorescence, atomic force microscopy and hydrostatic weighing) and destructive (i.e., inductively coupled plasmamass spectrometry and the Volhard titration method) techniques were used. The original fineness can be also deduced from knowledge of the internal structure of the coin (limited miscibility of copper and silver). A new analytical method based on a combination of a micrograph of the metallographic cross-section with consequent image analysis was developed for determination of the original fineness. The proposed approach is relatively simple and provides reliable values. Sample heterogeneity and its impact on the determination of fineness are also discussed.

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Characterization of Dyrrhachium silver coins by micro-PIXE method

Cited by 22 publications

References 5 publications

Spatial variability of elements in ancient Greek (ca. 600–250 BC) silver coins using scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectrometry (SEM-EDS) and time of flight-secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS)

Spatial variability of elements in ancient Greek (ca. 600–250 BC) silver coins using scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectrometry (SEM-EDS) and time of flight-secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS)

Multi‐technical study of silver denars from medieval Poland for an improved understanding of their archaeological context and provenance

Determination of the Fineness of Medieval Coins—Evaluation of Methods in a Case Study of a Medieval Pfennig

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