New results on horse trappings from the Hunnic-period Carpathian Basin based on non-destructive archaeometric analyses

Abstract

Objects manufactured from pressed gold, gilded silver or copper alloy plates are characteristic assemblages from the Late Hunnic period (5th century AD, 420/430). In this study, horse trappings that belong to the ‘pressed gold plate horizon’ from three archaeological sites in the Carpathian Basin (Léva, Nyíregyháza-Oros and Pécsüszög) were analysed non-destructively by using a handheld X-ray fluorescence spectrometer. The main aims were to determine the chemical composition and the gilding technique used, and to attempt to prove whether the groups in an assemblage are from the same set. The results of the chemical analyses give us the opportunity to confirm whether damaged or presumably lost objects of an assemblage were replaced or repaired. According to the results obtained, the objects were manufactured from gold (Pécsüszög), gilded silver (Nyíregyháza-Oros) or gilded unalloyed copper plates (Léva). Later, replacements can be distinguished based on their chemical composition and manufacturing quality. Two types of gilding were observed: fire gilding with the presence of mercury (Léva), and leaf gilding (Nyíregyháza- Oros).