The Archaeometallurgical Evaluation of Three Bronze Socketed Axes, Discovered in Eastern Romania

Abstract

This paper presents the study of three bronze socketed axes discovered in Neamţ County, Romania. The surface structures and those from the interface of the corrosion layer with the metal core of the basic alloy were analyzed, in order to elucidate the nature of the materials used and the manufacturing processes. The analyzes by optical microscopy (OM) and electron microscopy (SEM), coupled with X-ray spectrometry (EDX), revealed the type of their degradation during the depositional period, as a result of the processes of chemical alteration and physical damage. A series of metallurgical techniques used were also established, as well as the identification of some finishing and decoration processes that led to the establishment of the objects’ functionality.

Study on the Middle Bronze Age Disc-Butted Axe Ornament from Archaeometallurgical Point of View

“…The paper allowed the nuance and improvement of the quality of the archaeometallurgical interpretation used in the previous works [3,6,40], which involves different profiles of variation of the concentration of component metals on representative areas and directions.…”

“…After the publication of recent research by the authors [3,[6][7][8][9][10]20,21,[36][37][38][39][40], a number of archaeologists commented on the ornament, that it was not an archaeo-pyrometallurgical process, but rather the Liesegang effect. (Of course, being not a specialist in chemistry or metallurgy, is hard to deepen either of the two processes).…”

“…It is known, from our experiences, that the Liesengang layers are formed during the burial period in the archaeological site, by osmotic (direct and inverse), sequential/rhythmic processes, which take place by differentiated precipitation of congruent components at the surface of membrane systems formed in situ (hydrogels from oxohydroxide ceramics of Zn (II), Sn (II, IV) etc. and hydroxyapatite) in hydrothermal conditions induced by environmental factors and the chemical load of groundwater [7][8][9][10]20,21,[36][37][38][39][40]. In the literature, the Liesegang rings are a phenomenon seen in many chemical systems undergoing a precipitation reaction under certain conditions of concentration and in the absence of convection.…”

“…It is known that in order to identify the origin of the ores used, it is necessary to thoroughly analyse the basic elements and the alloying microelements. Modern analysis techniques allow the distinction between alloying elements and contaminants, both during use and after abandonment [17,18,[36][37][38][39][40]. For this, the nature of the chemical compounds that are formed in the three periods, specific to the formation of primary (noble), secondary (weak) and tertiary (contamination) skates, are often used to identify [3,[7][8][9][10]15,16].…”