Preliminary handheld XRF analysis of Late Bronze Age metal finds from the Budakeszi-Őzvölgy-tető site (Pest county, Hungary)

Abstract

This study discusses the chemical analysis results of Middle and Late Bronze Age stray finds and the Late Bronze Age hoards excavated at the recently discovered Budakeszi-Őzvölgy-tető site (Pest County, Hungary). This measurement series is the second stage in the scientific evaluation of the finds, which helps to characterize the elemental composition and raw material characteristics of the A and B hoards and the stray finds. Our aim is to obtain elemental composition information on the 103 objects, which can be used to identify the main alloy types within the hoards, as well as to establish a research strategy for the further examination of the metal finds from the Őzvölgy-tető with more complex and reliable methods. A handheld XRF device was used, which provides compositional information on the surface of the objects, but its main advantage is that it enables the analysis of a large number of samples within a short time. Here, we interpret the obtained data within the limits of the applied method. Based on our results, the majority of the artifacts can be identified as Cu-Sn alloys. Pb, Sb, Ni, Zn, Ag, Fe, Co and As are the main accompanying elements of the objects’ patina from Budakeszi, their presence being indicative of the raw material and its source. The presence of certain elements at higher quantities may indicate specific technological phenomena. The high surface Pb content on the convex part of the ingots is probably due to the phenomenon of lead segregation. While the high Fe content could be interpreted as a technological defect and the result of an incomplete iron removal process during smelting. Handheld XRF measurements show a correlation between patina color and surface elemental composition in some cases (e.g., dark gray – high Pb, black – high Pb-Sb), but more typically, the same color can be associated with different elemental combinations (grayish-silver, high Pb-Sb, Pb-Sn, high Sn). Our results help to independently verify the relative dating of the hoards and the stray finds. The high Fe or Zn content, which is not typical of the Late Bronze Age, allows us to date some of the stray find lumps and one sheet of metal to the Medieval Period or Modern Ages. The high surface Sb and Pb contents observed in Late Bronze Age artifacts from Budakeszi are in good agreement with former quantitative elemental composition data from Transdanubian (e.g., Biatorbágy, Velem-Szent Vid), Austrian and Slovenian artifacts deposited in the Ha B1 period, which support the archaeological dating of the hoards and most stray finds.