Portable laser ablation sheds light on Early Bronze Age gold treasures in the old world: New insights from Troy, Poliochni, and related finds

Numrich, Moritz; Schwall, Christoph; Lockhoff, Nicole; Nikolentzos, Kostas; Konstantinidi-Syvridi, Eleni; Cultraro, Massimo; Horejs, Barbara; Pernicka, Ernst

doi:10.1016/j.jas.2022.105694

Cited by 6 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…Such metal specimens will be analysed for their chemical composition down to the trace element level by solution-based ICP-MS. Elemental signatures depend on the type of ores used, and subsequent metallurgical processing and metal working (cf. Hauptmann, Rehren and Pernicka, 1995;Guerra and Calligaro, 2004;Bendall, et al, 2009;Ehser, Borg and Pernicka, 2011;Numrich, et al, 2023). Since the vast majority of at least cast metal objects are deliberately alloyed with copper, their elemental pattern will represent a mixture of different raw material types.…”

Section: Metal Artefactsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigating Pre-Columbian Gold and Copper in Costa Rica – Ores, Mines and Artefact Production

Gassmann,

Klein,

Schäfer

et al. 2024

METALLA

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The wealth of pre-Columbian gold, copper and guanín (an alloy consisting mainly of gold and copper; also tumbaga) artwork of Costa Rica suggests that exploitation of its abundant ore deposits goes back way before the Spanish conquest. The name of Costa Rica itself in fact alludes to the large numbers of golden metal objects worn by the indigenous peoples upon arrival of the conquistadors. Up to now, however, very little is known about pre-Columbian mining in the country or the raw material provenance of these artefacts.In a transdisciplinary project, we aim to reconstruct the metallurgical process chain by combining (mining) archaeological research with geochemical analysis of local ores and metal artefacts using a combination of different techniques. We identified four major gold and copper districts with different mineralisation types, which are the focus of our fieldwork-based research. They are surveyed for potential signs of pre-Columbian metal production and sampled for ores and their processing remains. On the other side of the process chain, we focus on the metal artefacts in museum collections. They are systematically registered in a database, which serves as a basis to identify correlations with the geochemical signatures of the artefacts, and to retrace potential links to possible areas of origin or different workshops. Once the necessary basic data have been collected, we will focus on economic and socio-cultural aspects of metal production and circulation. The results from Costa Rica will be put into perspective of New World early metallurgy and can provide a starting point for future research between Mesoamerica and the Isthmo-Colombian region.

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Section: Metal Artefactsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigating Pre-Columbian Gold and Copper in Costa Rica – Ores, Mines and Artefact Production

Gassmann,

Klein,

Schäfer

et al. 2024

METALLA

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“…However, compared to laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), which is quite similar in terms of sampling technique, and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) measurements, the limits of detection achieved using this approach are in the lower ranges (see Section 6.1 ) [ 88 , 89 , 90 ]. In the meantime, there are some successful application examples of this portable laser system which have been carried out on antique objects such as archaeological silver, antique glass beads, or various gold objects [ 91 , 92 , 93 ].…”

Section: Sampling Strategiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Artefact Profiling: Panomics Approaches for Understanding the Materiality of Written Artefacts

Creydt

Fischer

2023

Molecules

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This review explains the strategies behind genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, metallomics and isotopolomics approaches and their applicability to written artefacts. The respective sub-chapters give an insight into the analytical procedure and the conclusions drawn from such analyses. A distinction is made between information that can be obtained from the materials used in the respective manuscript and meta-information that cannot be obtained from the manuscript itself, but from residues of organisms such as bacteria or the authors and readers. In addition, various sampling techniques are discussed in particular, which pose a special challenge in manuscripts. The focus is on high-resolution, non-targeted strategies that can be used to extract the maximum amount of information about ancient objects. The combination of the various omics disciplines (panomics) especially offers potential added value in terms of the best possible interpretations of the data received. The information obtained can be used to understand the production of ancient artefacts, to gain impressions of former living conditions, to prove their authenticity, to assess whether there is a toxic hazard in handling the manuscripts, and to be able to determine appropriate measures for their conservation and restoration.

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Longevity, creativity, and mobility at the “oldest city in Europe”: ceramic traditions and cultural interactions at Poliochni-Lemnos, northeast Aegean

Menelaou,

Kouka,

Müller

et al. 2024

Archaeol Anthropol Sci

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Portable laser ablation sheds light on Early Bronze Age gold treasures in the old world: New insights from Troy, Poliochni, and related finds

Cited by 6 publications

References 38 publications

Investigating Pre-Columbian Gold and Copper in Costa Rica – Ores, Mines and Artefact Production

Investigating Pre-Columbian Gold and Copper in Costa Rica – Ores, Mines and Artefact Production

Artefact Profiling: Panomics Approaches for Understanding the Materiality of Written Artefacts

Longevity, creativity, and mobility at the “oldest city in Europe”: ceramic traditions and cultural interactions at Poliochni-Lemnos, northeast Aegean

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