The measurement of the fineness of debased ancient silver coins has proven to be a very difficult issue, which has been studied for a long time. In this paper, this subject is analysed, and the various consequences of the silver surfaceenrichment (SSE) are discussed exploiting the most recent investigations. A new model is proposed for the complex ob-ject that is an ancient-debased silver coin, based on the silver profiles measured on some sectioned specimens. The model is applied to a sample of 43 coins, mainly Roman victoriati, Cisalpine and Illyrian drachms (from late III to I centuryB.C.). The coins are investigated in two different ways: neutron diffraction (ND) and specific gravity (SG). The results ofthe two measurements are combined via the proposed model to provide a more complete numismatic information of theoriginal fineness of the monetary alloy. As a result, a relation between SSE thickness and SG is derived, which, for thesecoinages, allows to estimate the original alloy silver content from a simple SG measurement; the same method can be usedto study other debased coinages, provided that all the procedure (ND and SG) is applied
Average and core silver content of ancient-debased coins via neutron diffraction and specific gravity
Elisa Barzagli;Francesco Grazzi;
2017
Abstract
The measurement of the fineness of debased ancient silver coins has proven to be a very difficult issue, which has been studied for a long time. In this paper, this subject is analysed, and the various consequences of the silver surfaceenrichment (SSE) are discussed exploiting the most recent investigations. A new model is proposed for the complex ob-ject that is an ancient-debased silver coin, based on the silver profiles measured on some sectioned specimens. The model is applied to a sample of 43 coins, mainly Roman victoriati, Cisalpine and Illyrian drachms (from late III to I centuryB.C.). The coins are investigated in two different ways: neutron diffraction (ND) and specific gravity (SG). The results ofthe two measurements are combined via the proposed model to provide a more complete numismatic information of theoriginal fineness of the monetary alloy. As a result, a relation between SSE thickness and SG is derived, which, for thesecoinages, allows to estimate the original alloy silver content from a simple SG measurement; the same method can be usedto study other debased coinages, provided that all the procedure (ND and SG) is appliedFile | Dimensione | Formato | |
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