ANCIENT SILVER AND BRONZE METALLURGY STUDIES BY MICRO-PUCE AND SEM-EDS

We studied ancient silver and bronze alloy compositional inhomogeneities and the correlation of various elemental components (segregations) in order to draw some conclusions on the metallurgical skills mastered by the issuers of the artifacts. We analyzed Dacian and Roman silver objects - adornments and coins (Ist Century BC - IIIrd Century AD) and various Histria bronze monetary items - warfare arrowheads and arrowhead-shaped monetary signs found in Dobrogea. As analytical methods micro-PIXE at AN2000 accelerator of Legnaro (2 MeV protons beam) and Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS) coupled to Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) - gave the opportunity to perform a complete characterization of ancient metallic artifacts. Segregations of secondary metal components as copper, lead and manganese were put in evidence.