Non-Destructive Handheld XRF Analysis of Early Bronze Age Gold Finds from Uljma

Mozgai, Viktória and Bajnóczi, Bernadett (2021) Non-Destructive Handheld XRF Analysis of Early Bronze Age Gold Finds from Uljma. In: Danubian Route of the Yamnaya Culture : The Barrows of Vojvodina. Archaeolingua; The Yamnaya Impact of Prehistoric Europe (43; 3). Archaeolingua Alapítvány, Budapest, pp. 207-214.

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Abstract

Three Early Bronze Age gold objects from Uljma were analysed non-destructively by using a handheld X-ray fluorescence spectrometer (hXRF). The gold objects were manufactured from rather high-quality gold (>80 wt%), but exhibit different composition. The silver content of the objects fits into the compositional range of natural gold (5–50% Ag). The absence of PGE inclusions in the analysed gold objects can be interpreted as (i) gold did not come from placer deposits, or (ii) gold came from placer deposits, which do not contain PGE grains, or (iii) gold was selected by hand-sorting, therefore no PGE grains were sorted into the ore concentrate. The low copper content is supposed to be an unintentional contamination, which may occur both in vein and placer gold. No tin content was detected by hXRF in the analysed gold objects suggesting the probable use of primary vein gold. However, use of panned gold from placers cannot be excluded as tin can be removed from gold during melting in an oxidising atmosphere. Our results were compared to the chemical composition of native gold from various primary and secondary Romanian ore sources that show wide compositional variability. The Uljma objects might have been made of native gold from Stănija ore deposit or from placer deposits of Valea Pianului, Valea Oltului or Valea Morii.

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