Sasanian copper and billon coins from the collections of the Royal Museums of Art and History, Brussels, Belgium—insights using semi-quantitative analysis by μXRF

Abstract

This paper presents the micro-XRF analysis of over 100 Sasanian billon and copper coins from the collections of the Royal Museums of Art and History in Brussels, Belgium. This study discovered that some coins, thought to be copper, were actually billon coins. Furthermore, it illustrated the continuity in use and recipe of small copper coins from the Parthian into the Sasanian period. Previous research into the elemental composition of copper coins from the Sasanian period only spanned the period 224–309 CE, while this paper encompasses the whole period until the fall of the empire in 651 CE. The link with lead coins is also discussed.