Non-invasive archaeometallurgical approach to the investigations of bronze figurines using neutron, laser, and X-ray techniques

Abstract

In the present work, structural imaging and non-invasive compositional analysis have been successfully combined in order to investigate three bronze figurines from the antiquarian collection of the Egyptian Museum of Florence. High-resolution neutron tomography was exploited for a thorough reading of the technological features of the mentioned copper alloy statuettes. At the same time portable XRF–XRD, Raman spectroscopy, laser-induced plasma spectroscopy, as well as time-of-flight neutron diffraction provided a powerful complementary analytical set for achieving reliable surface, depth profile, and bulk analyses. The proposed multi-analytical and non-invasive approach, involving neutron, X-ray, and laser techniques, allowed exhaustive identification of the raw materials and interpretation of the crafting processes used by ancient bronze smiths.