SEM Study of Decorative Elements of the Late 3rd Millennium BCE Mosaic from the Royal Tomb No. 3230 of Gonur Depe

Abstract

Several dozens of white decorative elements that fell out from the collapsed mosaic wall of the tabernacle found at the excavation of the Royal tomb No. 3230 at Gonur Depe have formed a set of samples examined in this study. The study explores the materials of which the tesserae of this mosaic were made. By studying the internal structure of individual decorative elements using scanning electron microscopy, we try to understand how these tesserae were produced. The data obtained by scanning electron microscopy show differences in the compositions of the samples: some main component is calcite, while others are quartz. There are traces of stripes left by the edges of cutting tools on the lateral surfaces of the samples made of calcite. The inner regions of the cleavage of other samples, along with the fused parts, also show unmelted ones sintered together through the formation of connecting bridges. The SEM data complement information on the production methods of two groups of decorative mosaic elements of the late 3rd millennium BCE.