40954
Title Of Article Chaper
On the composition and silver sources of Aeginetan coins from the Asyut hoard
Title Of Journal Book
Proceedings of the 18th international symposium on archaeometry and archaeological prospection, Bonn, 14-17 March 1978; Archaeo-Physika, Band 10, Rheinisches Landesmuseum Bonn
Pages
176-193
Collation
Table, 7 figs.
Reference Bibliography
Includes 16 bibliog. refs.
Publisher
Rheinland-Verlag GmbH
Publisher City
Köln
Language Of Text
English
Literature Type
Monograph
Literature Level
Analytic
Meeting
International symposium on archaeometry and archaeological prospection. 18.
Meeting City
Bonn
Abstract
The chemical and lead isotopic studies of archaic Greek silver coins from the Asyut Hoard, which was buried around 475 B.C., have been continued by analysis of small shavings of damaged specimens from Aegina, Cyrene, Lesbos, Lycia, Mallus, Samos, and Sigloi. Among those, the 31 turtle coins tested from the island of Aegina vary greatly in trace and minor element content as determined by neutron activation and atomic absorption spectrometry; lead isotope ratios show comparable scatter. Isotopic and chemical fingerprints indicate various silver sources for Aeginetan coins. About one fifth (six coins) of the 31 coins are similar to Athenian coins of the Asyut Hoard, the silver of which is derived from the Laurian mines in Attica. According to historical reports, silver-and gold-rich mines of Siphnos in the Cyclades have to be considered. Five of the Aeginetan coins resemble in lead isotope ratios serveral argentiferous ores as well as a litharge sample collected at the ancient mining site Ayos Sostis on Siphnos. These coins are, however, chemically not uniform; they differ mainly in gold and tin content, which are positively correlated, as well as in numismatic classification. Sixteen Aeginetan coins are gold-rich (up to 1/6% gold), relatively high in tin, and sometimes low in lead. This silver was produced from alluvial electrum metal of the Pactolus valley near Sardis. The silver-gold separation was probably achieved by means of so-called cementation, a process known since Croesus (560-547 B.C.). This group of coins belongs to the earliest of the Asyut Hoard: the coins mostly show the Union Jack pattern on the reverse. Three Sigloi from Lydia are chemically and isotopically related to those peculiar Aeginetan coins, a fact which further supports their hypotheses. The ores found at Ayos Sostis in the expedition of June 1977 are strongly oxidized; only one lead sulfide specimen was collected. The composition of 12 ores surveyed by XRF-analysis greatly varies. Silver and gold content has been determined by radiochemical neutron activation. Silver concentrations amount to up to 0.45%, gold values are distinctly lower than 10<sup>-4</sup>%, the silver to gold ratios of ores mostly range from 10<sup>3</sup> to 10<sup>5</sup>. On the basis of the analytical results, the supposed silver and gold wealth of Siphnos has not been confirmed so far, at best for silver. Moreover, a flat silver piece (87.4 grams) from the Asyut Hoard was analyzed. It shows the phenomenon of spitting, which indicates high purity. In fact, this silver contains 99.5% silver and little lead and copper and demonstrates the high level of silver metallurgy in the 6th and 5th century B.C. Lead isotope studies have been performed by Prof. N. H. Gale at the University of Oxford in collaboration with the Max-Planck-Institute (see also AATA 23-2832).
Keywords
Asyut Hoard;Greece;Coin silver analysis;Isotope lead;Aegina Cyrene Lesbos; Element analysis;Silver ore provenance;Metal gold; Metal tin;Metal silver; Metal metallurgy history; Ayos Sostis, Siphnos, Greece;Lycia, Mallus, Samos; Neutron activation analysis; Metal lead;Metal electrum;x-ray fluorescence;Lydia analysis;Atomic absorption spectrometry AATA -- AATA
pub_id
40954
Meeting Date
19780314-19780317