Arheološki Vestnik (Jan 2005)
Archaeometric analysis of Alesia group broochesfrom sites in Slovenia
Abstract
The methods of X-ray fluorescence, proton-induced X-rayemission (PIXE) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) wereused for analysis of 18 brooches of the group Alesia from Sloveniansites. XRF served for an approximate determination of the alloycomposition. For the analysis with PIXE, up to seven areaswere selected on each brooch. Basic alloy was determined inthe areas from which we removed the corrosion layer down tothe metal core; in the other areas we measured the corrodedsurfaces with an aim to detect tinning, silvering or other typeof plating. The scanning electron microscope was mainly usedfor explanation of a high percentage of tin at the surface ofthe brooch No.5.It was found out that fourteen brooches were made of brass,one of gunmetal and three of bronze. The analysis showed fur-ther that some of the brooches (made of brass and bronze)were tinned.
