Search results for "ingots"
showing 3 items of 3 documents
First discovery of orichalcum ingots from the remains of a 6th century BC shipwreck near Gela (Sicily) seabed
2017
Ingots recently recovered from the seabed near Gela, a major harbour of Sicily, reveal an unexpected side of ancient metallurgy. The ingots were found near remains of a ship and earthenware dated around the end of the VI century BC and probably coming from the eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean sea. The ingots were analysed by means of X-Ray Fluorescence spectroscopy via a portable spectrometer. Results indicate that they are mostly consist of copper and zinc although many of them have a significant amount of lead. This alloy is nowday called brass, but in ancient time it was know as orichalcum, one of the rarest and most precious alloy along with gold and silver. Only small items of oric…
Newly discovered orichalcum ingots from Mediterranean sea: Further investigation
2021
Abstract In February 2016, 47 ingots were found in the seabed of Contrada Bulala (Gela, CL, Italy) near the site where 40 ingots had previously been recovered. The ingots composition was determined to be a Cu - Zn alloy, dated by the archaeologist to the VI century B.C. This specific alloy was then known as Orichalcum. From an archaeological point of view, the first question raised about the new discovery was whether the ingots of the first and the second excavations belonged to the same shipwreck. Following the previous study, an elemental analysis was performed on the ingots from the second finding by using ICP-OS and ICP-MS techniques. The chemometric treatment of the analytical results …
Bronze Sculptures and Lead Objects Tell Stories About Their Creators: Investigation of Renaissance Sculptures and Ancient Ingots by Means of Neutron …
2016
Renaissance bronze objects from the Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam) col- lection and lead ingots from ancient roman shipwrecks found near Sicily (Italy) were studied by means of neutron tomography. This was done with the aim to visualize and to measure the inner structures of the objects. In this way information about the manufacturing processes in the 16th century and the conservation status from the inside of the bronze sculptures was gained. Inscriptions found under the corrosion layer of the lead ingots gave hints about the trade routes in the past. Neutron imaging was proven perfect to transmit the relatively thick layers of Pb and Cu alloys while ceramic remains, soldering connections and cor…