Structural studies of the brass ingots from the Shcherbet historical complex of the Lower Kama region: neutron diffraction and tomography studies

Abstract

The structural characteristics and phase composition of several ancient brass ingots obtained in the archeological Shcherbet complex has been studied using neutron diffraction and tomography methods. The XRF analysis and neutron diffraction provide high zinc content up to 30 wt.%. The neutron tomography yielded 3D data of the spatial distribution of chemical elements in the brass alloy of the studied ingots, as well as inner voids and cavities as a possible result of the gas output during casting process. The patina, as a cuprite phase, occupy volumes to 8 % of the volumes of the ingots.

Local supply and long-distance imports: New evidence for the origin of brass, copper and lead at Helgö

“…It may have a similar source, which could indicate an eastern trade network to Helgö. In addition, brass and copper ingots of very similar form and elemental composition to those from Helgö, but without lead isotope data, have been recorded in the Volga/Kama region of Russia (Vyazov et al 2019;Zhomartova et al 2022). These bar ingots date from AD c. 450 to 700 (Vyazov pers.…”

Structural Features of the Fragments from Cast Iron Cauldrons of the Medieval Golden Horde: Neutron Tomography Data

“…Metal casting fragments are excellent markers for reconstructing the features of technological levels of medieval settlements [2][3][4][5][6][7]. Now, there has been a growing interest in the research of archaeological and cultural materials using natural scientific methods [1,[6][7][8][9].…”

“…Metal casting fragments are excellent markers for reconstructing the features of technological levels of medieval settlements [2][3][4][5][6][7]. Now, there has been a growing interest in the research of archaeological and cultural materials using natural scientific methods [1,[6][7][8][9]. Among them, the methods for non-destructive structural diagnostics should be noted, which are very careful with valuable objects of cultural heritage [10][11][12][13][14][15].…”