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- Archeometry (2) (entfernen)
In the determination of the provenance of gold in archaeological artifacts, trace elements are more significant than the main components. Several minute fragments of natural Carpathian gold-placer and primary-and some very small (a few milligrams) fragments of archaeological items were studied using micro Synchrotron Radiation X-Ray Fluorescence (micro SR-XRF) at the BESSY Synchrotron Facility in Berlin, Germany. The goal of the study was to identify the trace elements characterizing Carpathian gold, looking especially at Sn, Sb, Pb and Te, and to determine if the gold in the archaeological items is native or refined. Applications to the authentication and provenance of nine Dacian gold bracelets, koson coins and two Bronze Age items are presented.
The gold finds from Bernstorf, in the Freising district of Bavaria, were discovered in 1998, in the area of a Bronze Age settlement. First analyses with X-ray fluorescence (XRF) revealed gold of an unusually high purity grade, which was explained by the use of cementation techniques. A newer analysis with laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA–ICP–MS) indicated an even higher purity. The analytical results were the starting point of an ongoing discussion. In this study, we re-analysed 11 gold samples with Synchrotron radiation–induced X-ray fluorescence at the BAMline at BESSY. In a thorough analysis, different excitation and detection conditions were applied to confirm or disprove the previous results. It was shown that the purity of the gold from the specimen is higher than 99.9%. The main impurities are silver in a range between 20 and 200 μg/g and copper between 1 and 10 μg/g. The results are in very good agreement with the LA–ICP–MS measurements and provide basic information for discussions about provenance, processing techniques or considerations of authenticity.