The present study provides new data from the analysis of 111 copper-based and 11 silver-alloy coi... more The present study provides new data from the analysis of 111 copper-based and 11 silver-alloy coins from the ancient city of Rhodes, Greece. This is the first time that an elemental analysis has been carried out on copper-based coins issued by the Rhodian mint from the mid-4th c. BCE to the 2nd c. CE. Based on the μ-XRF results, three different groups of copper-based alloys are formed, with tin and lead as their major alloying components. The elemental composition shows that most of the coins are binary, leaded and ternary bronzes, while two samples—confirmed as imports—belong to a different technological tradition. All impurities present, such as iron, nickel, cobalt, antimony, or lead, are typical of copper ores, while the diminutive amounts of tin, lead and/or arsenic in some coins could indicate the use of alloys made from copper scrap. Based on a complex and extensive set of compositional data and using silhouette analysis for k-means clustering, we identified the existence of ...
Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, Aug 30, 2023
The present study provides new data from the analysis of 111 copper-based and 11 silver-alloy coi... more The present study provides new data from the analysis of 111 copper-based and 11 silver-alloy coins from the ancient city of Rhodes, Greece. This is the first time that an elemental analysis has been carried out on copper-based coins issued by the Rhodian mint from the mid-4th c. BCE to the 2nd c. CE. Based on the μ-XRF results, three different groups of copper-based alloys are formed, with tin and lead as their major alloying components. The elemental composition shows that most of the coins are binary, leaded and ternary bronzes, while two samples—confirmed as imports—belong to a different technological tradition. All impurities present, such as iron, nickel, cobalt, antimony, or lead, are typical of copper ores, while the diminutive amounts of tin, lead and/or arsenic in some coins could indicate the use of alloys made from copper scrap. Based on a complex and extensive set of compositional data and using silhouette analysis for k-means clustering, we identified the existence of four distinct groups clustered on the basis of similar trace element values. The groups give indication to the raw materials used for minting and provided valuable insights into the technological and origin-related aspects of Rhodian coin production. In the silver coins, four groups of different silver grades can be identified on the basis of the most important alloying elements. Overall, the differences in the composition of the silver coins become clear, but a more extensive sample is needed to better understand the evolution of Rhodian silver coinage.
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, Jun 21, 2021
We examined an assemblage of 72 copper alloy pins from the Athena Alea sanctuary at Tegea in cent... more We examined an assemblage of 72 copper alloy pins from the Athena Alea sanctuary at Tegea in central Peloponnese, Greece, dated to the 9th-7th centuries BCE, with a stereo-microscope and with micro X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. The microscopic and elemental analyses investigated the technology and metalworking practices used in the sanctuary’s votives with a micro-invasive analytical protocol. Results confirmed that the assemblage consists of copper-tin binary alloys and provide evidence for the continuity of bronze in the Tegea area during the Geometric (9th-7th century BCE) and Orientalising (7th century BCE) periods. Most of the artefacts are made of bronze with an average tin content of ca. 9 wt% Sn, while a small group (n= 3) of pins is tin-free (<0.3 wt% Sn). Tin concentrations in the alloys do not correlate with the typology of the pins. The results further suggest an intentional addition of tin, as indicated by the normal distribution of tin values, along with a local metallurgical technology, that catered for the local sanctuary’s demand for votive objects.
We examined an assemblage of 72 copper alloy pins from the Athena Alea sanctuary at Tegea in central Peloponnese, Greece, dated to the 9th-7th centuries BCE, with a stereo-microscope and with micro X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. The microscopic and elemental analyses investigated the technology and metalworking practices used in the sanctuary’s votives with a micro-invasive analytical protocol. Results confirmed that the assemblage consists of copper-tin binary alloys and provide evidence for the continuity of bronze in the Tegea area during the Geometric (9th-7th century BCE) and Orientalising (7th century BCE) periods. Most of the artefacts are made of bronze with an average tin content of ca. 9 wt% Sn, while a small group (n= 3) of pins is tin-free (<0.3 wt% Sn). Tin concentrations in the alloys do not correlate with the typology of the pins. The results further suggest an intentional addition of tin, as indicated by the normal distribution of tin values, along with a local metallurgical technology, that catered for the local sanctuary’s demand for votive objects.
The present study provides new data from the analysis of 111 copper-based and 11 silver-alloy coi... more The present study provides new data from the analysis of 111 copper-based and 11 silver-alloy coins from the ancient city of Rhodes, Greece. This is the first time that an elemental analysis has been carried out on copper-based coins issued by the Rhodian mint from the mid-4th c. BCE to the 2nd c. CE. Based on the μ-XRF results, three different groups of copper-based alloys are formed, with tin and lead as their major alloying components. The elemental composition shows that most of the coins are binary, leaded and ternary bronzes, while two samples—confirmed as imports—belong to a different technological tradition. All impurities present, such as iron, nickel, cobalt, antimony, or lead, are typical of copper ores, while the diminutive amounts of tin, lead and/or arsenic in some coins could indicate the use of alloys made from copper scrap. Based on a complex and extensive set of compositional data and using silhouette analysis for k-means clustering, we identified the existence of ...
Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, Aug 30, 2023
The present study provides new data from the analysis of 111 copper-based and 11 silver-alloy coi... more The present study provides new data from the analysis of 111 copper-based and 11 silver-alloy coins from the ancient city of Rhodes, Greece. This is the first time that an elemental analysis has been carried out on copper-based coins issued by the Rhodian mint from the mid-4th c. BCE to the 2nd c. CE. Based on the μ-XRF results, three different groups of copper-based alloys are formed, with tin and lead as their major alloying components. The elemental composition shows that most of the coins are binary, leaded and ternary bronzes, while two samples—confirmed as imports—belong to a different technological tradition. All impurities present, such as iron, nickel, cobalt, antimony, or lead, are typical of copper ores, while the diminutive amounts of tin, lead and/or arsenic in some coins could indicate the use of alloys made from copper scrap. Based on a complex and extensive set of compositional data and using silhouette analysis for k-means clustering, we identified the existence of four distinct groups clustered on the basis of similar trace element values. The groups give indication to the raw materials used for minting and provided valuable insights into the technological and origin-related aspects of Rhodian coin production. In the silver coins, four groups of different silver grades can be identified on the basis of the most important alloying elements. Overall, the differences in the composition of the silver coins become clear, but a more extensive sample is needed to better understand the evolution of Rhodian silver coinage.
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, Jun 21, 2021
We examined an assemblage of 72 copper alloy pins from the Athena Alea sanctuary at Tegea in cent... more We examined an assemblage of 72 copper alloy pins from the Athena Alea sanctuary at Tegea in central Peloponnese, Greece, dated to the 9th-7th centuries BCE, with a stereo-microscope and with micro X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. The microscopic and elemental analyses investigated the technology and metalworking practices used in the sanctuary’s votives with a micro-invasive analytical protocol. Results confirmed that the assemblage consists of copper-tin binary alloys and provide evidence for the continuity of bronze in the Tegea area during the Geometric (9th-7th century BCE) and Orientalising (7th century BCE) periods. Most of the artefacts are made of bronze with an average tin content of ca. 9 wt% Sn, while a small group (n= 3) of pins is tin-free (<0.3 wt% Sn). Tin concentrations in the alloys do not correlate with the typology of the pins. The results further suggest an intentional addition of tin, as indicated by the normal distribution of tin values, along with a local metallurgical technology, that catered for the local sanctuary’s demand for votive objects.
We examined an assemblage of 72 copper alloy pins from the Athena Alea sanctuary at Tegea in central Peloponnese, Greece, dated to the 9th-7th centuries BCE, with a stereo-microscope and with micro X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. The microscopic and elemental analyses investigated the technology and metalworking practices used in the sanctuary’s votives with a micro-invasive analytical protocol. Results confirmed that the assemblage consists of copper-tin binary alloys and provide evidence for the continuity of bronze in the Tegea area during the Geometric (9th-7th century BCE) and Orientalising (7th century BCE) periods. Most of the artefacts are made of bronze with an average tin content of ca. 9 wt% Sn, while a small group (n= 3) of pins is tin-free (<0.3 wt% Sn). Tin concentrations in the alloys do not correlate with the typology of the pins. The results further suggest an intentional addition of tin, as indicated by the normal distribution of tin values, along with a local metallurgical technology, that catered for the local sanctuary’s demand for votive objects.
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Papers by Nelly Kladouri
We examined an assemblage of 72 copper alloy pins from the Athena Alea sanctuary at Tegea in central Peloponnese, Greece, dated to the 9th-7th centuries BCE, with a stereo-microscope and with micro X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. The microscopic and elemental analyses investigated the technology and metalworking practices used in the sanctuary’s votives with a micro-invasive analytical protocol. Results confirmed that the assemblage consists of copper-tin binary alloys and provide evidence for the continuity of bronze in the Tegea area during the Geometric (9th-7th century BCE) and Orientalising (7th century BCE) periods. Most of the artefacts are made of bronze with an average tin content of ca. 9 wt% Sn, while a small group (n= 3) of pins is tin-free (<0.3 wt% Sn). Tin concentrations in the alloys do not correlate with the typology of the pins. The results further suggest an intentional addition of tin, as indicated by the normal distribution of tin values, along with a local metallurgical technology, that catered for the local sanctuary’s demand for votive objects.
We examined an assemblage of 72 copper alloy pins from the Athena Alea sanctuary at Tegea in central Peloponnese, Greece, dated to the 9th-7th centuries BCE, with a stereo-microscope and with micro X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. The microscopic and elemental analyses investigated the technology and metalworking practices used in the sanctuary’s votives with a micro-invasive analytical protocol. Results confirmed that the assemblage consists of copper-tin binary alloys and provide evidence for the continuity of bronze in the Tegea area during the Geometric (9th-7th century BCE) and Orientalising (7th century BCE) periods. Most of the artefacts are made of bronze with an average tin content of ca. 9 wt% Sn, while a small group (n= 3) of pins is tin-free (<0.3 wt% Sn). Tin concentrations in the alloys do not correlate with the typology of the pins. The results further suggest an intentional addition of tin, as indicated by the normal distribution of tin values, along with a local metallurgical technology, that catered for the local sanctuary’s demand for votive objects.