Chemical Composition of the Metal Ware Found in the Late Scythian Cemetery of Levadki

Abstract

This article addresses the study of the chemical alloy composition of the artefacts made of non-ferrous and precious metals and discovered in the cemetery of Levadki in Central Crimea. The elemental composition of the finds was studied with non-destructive standardless X-ray fluorescence at the Storage Department of the Central Museum of the Taurida. The research used a sample of 68 artefacts and their components discovered in 23 burial structures dated from the Late Hellenistic and Roman Periods. From the formula of the main alloy components, the sample under study comprises: 17.65% of “pure” copper, 8.82% of brass, 11.76% of multicomponent zinc-containing alloys, 1.47% of lead bronze, 19.12% of tin bronze, 38.24% of tin-lead and lead-tin bronze, 1.47% of lead, and 1.47% of silver. The analysis of alloy composition by categories of grave goods has revealed that tin and zinc were the main alloying species in brooch production. The belt and sword-belt parts were made of alloys featuring various formulae, ranging from “pure” copper to three-component bronze variants. The research on ornaments and accessories has uncovered that this group includes the artefacts of “pure” copper along with the pieces alloyed with tin and lead, with the latter component comprising from one-third to a half of the composition, particularly in cast ornaments. This group divides into at least three subgroups, differentiated by the technique applied in the making of the artefacts and the composition of the alloy. Weaponry items are represented by the arrowheads. There are three cases of the arrowheads made of lead-tin bronze and one case more of “pure” copper.

Keywords

• late scythians
• sarmatians
• central crimea
• cemetery
• roman period
• x-ray fluorescence analysis
• alloy formula