An investigation on the patina of ancient bronze coins

Abstract

The patina of ancient bronze coins of different historical periods (from VI cent. A.D. to X cent. A.D.) coming from different Mediterranean countries was investigated with different surface physical analyses. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements were performed by using electron emission induced by 1.4 keV X-rays. Laser ablation coupled to mass quadrupole spectrometry analyses were developed by using a pulsed Nd:YAG laser operating at 532 nm, 3 ns pulse width, 30 mJ pulse energy and 10 Hz repetition rate, coupled to a mass quadrupole spectrometer with a mass range of 1–300 amu. Laser ablation induces controllable surface layers removal in high vacuum. At present, the mass spectrometer detects chemical elements and compounds. This work, more than to solve a numismatic question, has been carried out in order to test the validity of the above experimental techniques in view to further analyse the same coins, based on better quality statistics. Preliminary results presented in this paper indicate significant differences in the chemistry of the coins patina.