Archaeological applications of natural gold analyses
Archaeological applications of natural gold analyses
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天然金分析的考古应用
DOI：
10.1144/sp516-2021-59
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发表时间：
2021
期刊：
影响因子：
--
通讯作者：
Standish C
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Standish C
自然金的成分研究通常有地质重点，但在考古学来源方面也很重要。这两种方法都依赖于两组样本的成分比较，其中一组样本受到地理限制。在这里，我们描述了如何从地质研究中获得的黄金特征的经验与考古学有关。天然金抛光切片的显微化学表征确定了合金成分、合金异质性和矿物夹杂物。所有存款类型的金显示铜和锡的价值远低于那些记录在许多研究的文物。人工黄金中的包裹体包括各种含铜和锡的化合物，这些化合物表明特定的高温反应，最终可以阐明熔融的条件。使用LA-ICP-MS生成用于来源研究的广泛元素判别式可能会受到合金掺杂和/或天然/人造合金的不代表性分析的影响，这些合金通常在微米尺度上高度异质。地质学研究通常只描述最早形成的（深成）合金，而考古学研究则需要分析大块合金的成分和熔化过程中可能混入的杂质。基于同位素的物源分析解决了其中许多问题，但迄今为止，产生的是区域性目标，而不是针对具体地点的目标。建议采用双同位素-组分方法。
Compositional studies of natural gold usually have a geological focus, but are also important in archaeological provenancing. Both methodologies rely on compositional comparison of two sets of samples, one of which is geographically constrained. Here we describe how experiences in gold characterization resulting from geological studies are relevant to archaeology. Microchemical characterization of polished sections of natural gold identifies alloy compositions, alloy heterogeneity and mineral inclusions. Gold from all deposit types shows Cu and Sn values much lower than those recorded during numerous studies of artefacts. Inclusions in artefact gold include various Cu-and Sn-bearing compounds which indicate specific high temperature reactions that could ultimately illuminate the conditions of (s) melting. The use of LA-ICP-MS to generate a wide range of elemental discriminants for provenance studies may be compromised by alloy adulteration and/or unrepresentative analysis of natural/artefact alloys, which are commonly highly heterogeneous at the micron scale. Geological studies normally characterize only the earliest-formed (hypogene) alloy, whereas archaeology-focused studies should entail analyses of bulk alloy compositions and impurities that may be incorporated during (s) melting. Isotopic-based provenancing alleviates many of these problems but, to date, generates regional rather than locality-specific targets. A dual isotopic–compositional approach is recommended.