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μXRF Mapping as a Powerful Technique for Investigating Metal Objects from the Archaeological Site of Ferento (Central Italy)

This research concerns the application of micro X-ray fluorescence (µXRF) mapping to the investigation of a group of selected metal objects from the archaeological site of Ferento, a Roman and then medieval town in Central Italy. Specifically, attention was focused on two test pits, named IV and V,...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Capobianco, Giuseppe, Sferragatta, Adriana, Lanteri, Luca, Agresti, Giorgia, Bonifazi, Giuseppe, Serranti, Silvia, Pelosi, Claudia
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: MDPI 2020
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8321204/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34460652
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/jimaging6070059
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author Capobianco, Giuseppe
Sferragatta, Adriana
Lanteri, Luca
Agresti, Giorgia
Bonifazi, Giuseppe
Serranti, Silvia
Pelosi, Claudia
author_facet Capobianco, Giuseppe
Sferragatta, Adriana
Lanteri, Luca
Agresti, Giorgia
Bonifazi, Giuseppe
Serranti, Silvia
Pelosi, Claudia
author_sort Capobianco, Giuseppe
collection PubMed
description This research concerns the application of micro X-ray fluorescence (µXRF) mapping to the investigation of a group of selected metal objects from the archaeological site of Ferento, a Roman and then medieval town in Central Italy. Specifically, attention was focused on two test pits, named IV and V, in which metal objects were found, mainly pertaining to the medieval period and never investigated before the present work from a compositional point of view. The potentiality of µXRF mapping was tested through a Bruker Tornado M4 equipped with an Rh tube, operating at 50 kV, 500 μA, and spot 25 μm obtained with polycapillary optics. Principal component analysis (PCA) and multivariate curve resolution (MCR) were used for processing the X-ray fluorescence spectra. The results showed that the investigated items are characterized by different compositions in terms of chemical elements. Three little wheels are made of lead, while the fibulae are made of copper-based alloys with varying amounts of tin, zinc, and lead. Only one ring is iron-based, and the other objects, namely a spatula and an applique, are also made of copper-based alloys, but with different relative amounts of the main elements. In two objects, traces of gold were found, suggesting the precious character of these pieces. MCR analysis was demonstrated to be particularly useful to confirm the presence of trace elements, such as gold, as it could differentiate the signals related to minor elements from those due to major chemical elements.
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spelling pubmed-83212042021-08-26 μXRF Mapping as a Powerful Technique for Investigating Metal Objects from the Archaeological Site of Ferento (Central Italy) Capobianco, Giuseppe Sferragatta, Adriana Lanteri, Luca Agresti, Giorgia Bonifazi, Giuseppe Serranti, Silvia Pelosi, Claudia J Imaging Article This research concerns the application of micro X-ray fluorescence (µXRF) mapping to the investigation of a group of selected metal objects from the archaeological site of Ferento, a Roman and then medieval town in Central Italy. Specifically, attention was focused on two test pits, named IV and V, in which metal objects were found, mainly pertaining to the medieval period and never investigated before the present work from a compositional point of view. The potentiality of µXRF mapping was tested through a Bruker Tornado M4 equipped with an Rh tube, operating at 50 kV, 500 μA, and spot 25 μm obtained with polycapillary optics. Principal component analysis (PCA) and multivariate curve resolution (MCR) were used for processing the X-ray fluorescence spectra. The results showed that the investigated items are characterized by different compositions in terms of chemical elements. Three little wheels are made of lead, while the fibulae are made of copper-based alloys with varying amounts of tin, zinc, and lead. Only one ring is iron-based, and the other objects, namely a spatula and an applique, are also made of copper-based alloys, but with different relative amounts of the main elements. In two objects, traces of gold were found, suggesting the precious character of these pieces. MCR analysis was demonstrated to be particularly useful to confirm the presence of trace elements, such as gold, as it could differentiate the signals related to minor elements from those due to major chemical elements. MDPI 2020-06-30 /pmc/articles/PMC8321204/ /pubmed/34460652 http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/jimaging6070059 Text en © 2020 by the authors. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) ).
spellingShingle Article
Capobianco, Giuseppe
Sferragatta, Adriana
Lanteri, Luca
Agresti, Giorgia
Bonifazi, Giuseppe
Serranti, Silvia
Pelosi, Claudia
μXRF Mapping as a Powerful Technique for Investigating Metal Objects from the Archaeological Site of Ferento (Central Italy)
title μXRF Mapping as a Powerful Technique for Investigating Metal Objects from the Archaeological Site of Ferento (Central Italy)
title_full μXRF Mapping as a Powerful Technique for Investigating Metal Objects from the Archaeological Site of Ferento (Central Italy)
title_fullStr μXRF Mapping as a Powerful Technique for Investigating Metal Objects from the Archaeological Site of Ferento (Central Italy)
title_full_unstemmed μXRF Mapping as a Powerful Technique for Investigating Metal Objects from the Archaeological Site of Ferento (Central Italy)
title_short μXRF Mapping as a Powerful Technique for Investigating Metal Objects from the Archaeological Site of Ferento (Central Italy)
title_sort μxrf mapping as a powerful technique for investigating metal objects from the archaeological site of ferento (central italy)
topic Article
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8321204/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34460652
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/jimaging6070059
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