The origins of lead archaeological artifacts using mass spectrometry analysis (original) (raw)
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Application of lead isotope analysis to provenance studies in archaeology
1992
I am very grateful to Professor K.W. Alien for most enlightening discussions, support and advice during the preparation of my thesis. I would like also to thank very warmly two other physicists: Dr. George Doucas of Oxford and Professor Al Silverman of Cornell for their sound scientific criticism, encouragement and advice. I am also grateful to all members of the Isotrace Laboratory for their cooperation and helpful atitude, and Martin Roberts for proofreading and correcting the text. Finally I would like to thank my husband Noel Gale for introducing me to this fascinating subject and giving me the highest example of scientific discipline and hard work.
Lead in Archeological Human Bones Reflecting Historical Changes in Lead Production
Environmental Science & Technology
Science, Settle and Patterson used archeological and historical data to estimate the rates of worldwide lead production since the discovery of cupellation, approximately 5000 years ago. Here, we record actual lead exposure of a human population by direct measurements of the concentrations of lead in petrous bones of individuals representing approximately 12 000 years of inhabitation in Italy. This documentation of lead pollution throughout human history indicates that, remarkably, much of the estimated dynamics in lead production is replicated in human exposure. Thus, lead pollution in humans has closely followed anthropogenic lead production. This observation raises concerns that the forecasted increase in the production of lead and other metals might affect human health in the near future.
Microchemical Journal, 2020
Lead isotope analyses, using secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS), are used to trace the provenance of lead minerals involved in the production of Roman lead-glazed ceramics. The Roman archeological ceramic artifacts analyzed in this study were recovered from five archeological sites in Rome: the Testaccio Market (mid-2nd century AD), the Magna Mater sanctuary and the Domus Tiberiana on the Palatine Hill (late 4th-5th century AD), the Forum of Caesar (10th-the early 11th century AD) and from the Forum of Nerva (9th-10th century AD). A comparison of lead isotope ratios from the ceramic artifacts examined with databases of lead isotopes from lead deposits exploited in ancient times suggests that since the 2nd century AD the deposits of the British Isles were the most probable sources of metal involved in the production of Roman lead-glazed ceramics. Furthermore, the results indicate that the lead isotope ratios obtained by SIMS are consistent with values reported in the literature that were obtained by ICP-MS and TIMS. Thus, the effectiveness of in-situ micro-analysis by SIMS is highlighted, considering that it is a less destructive method for the analysis of valuable archeological recovered artifacts.
SIMS analysis of lead isotope composition in ancient Chinese metallic artefacts
Surface and Interface Analysis, 2000
An attempt on the use of secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) in studying ancient Chinese bronze is reported with an evaluation of the suitability of SIMS for the provenance study of ancient bronze objects. The advantage of using SIMS in the study of the lead isotope ratio is the high sensitivity that enables the examination of small fragments of valuable relics that are often difficult to collect. The application of SIMS in this direction widens the sampling area, which is limited by the use of thermal ionization mass spectroscopy (TIMS). The focus of the study has been placed on the precision of SIMS when compared to TIMS and the effect of sample matrices on the precision. Samples of Chinese bronze artefacts and a standard lead sample (SRM 981) were tested for their lead isotope ratios using both SIMS and TIMS. A comparison of the data obtained using the two techniques showed that SIMS results have a relatively large standard deviation, which was attributed to the non-uniformity of the ancient samples and the single-isotope detection system of the SIMS set-up used. Matrix effects were found to be small among bronze samples of different compositions. Non-conducting samples can also be analysed when a specimen isolation technique is employed. Although SIMS gave higher uncertainties than TIMS, the SIMS technique can be applied easily to differentiate the high radiogenic lead in Shang bronze artefacts from common lead.
Lead isotope evidence of lead supply in ancient Ilduro (second-first centuries B.C.E)
Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, 2020
In this article, we study the provenance of the lead contained in 22 objects found in the excavations conducted since 1998 on the ancient site of Ilduro (Cabrera de Mar, Barcelona), located in the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula. A selection of 12 bronze coins and 10 lead objects recovered from households, workshops, and the public baths of the town were examined by means of Thermal Ionization Mass Spectrometry (TIMS) to document the lead supply and trade networks between, on the one hand, the indigenous peoples known in the classical sources as the Laeetani and, on the other, the Roman provincial administration and the societates that controlled the natural resources, their exploitation, and distribution during the Late Republic (second-first centuries B.C.E.). There is no doubt about Rome's dependence on the considerable output of the lead and silver from Hispanic mines during this period; however, very little is known on how these mines supplied and affected the lives of the local communities in Hispania over the course of time. This study helps to cover this gap in the existing literature. The results show how all the coins have lead isotope ratios with homogeneous values compatible with an origin in the Spanish mining district of Cartagena-Mazarrón. The isotopic composition of the 10 lead objects is not homogeneous, and it is possible to identify three distinct clusters. The samples in cluster 3, which include all the artifacts from the bath complex, can also be attributed to the mining districts of Cartagena-Mazarrón, demonstrating that a single mining district supplied the lead required for these two specific initiatives: minting and the construction of the baths. However, the provenance of the lead in the remaining samples (workshops and households) remains unresolved and in some cases might be a consequence of remelting or the direct mixing of leads with different origins. The data from Ilduro points towards the existence of different lead supply patterns in the settlement: directly from the mining exploitations for the public enterprises in contrast to the recycling and mixing practices detected in households and workshops.