MATERIALS ANALYSIS IN ARCHAEOMETRICAL STUDIES AT BUCHAREST PARTICLE ACCELERATORS

The analysis of archaeological objects requires simultaneously, non-destructive, fast, versatile, sensitive and multielemental methods. Our purpose was to help Romanian archaeologists to identify objects provenance (workshops, technologies, mines) and to explain commercial, military and political aspects. Ancient Greek silver and Dacian gold coins were studied. For silver coins, two methods were used: in air 3 MeV protons PIXE (Particle Induced X-ray Emission) at U-120 classical Cyclotron and Am-241 source based XRF (X-Ray Fluorescence). We obtained the coins composition and, comparing the quantities of Ag, Cu, Sn, Pb and Au, we found which are original, which are copies and which are Barbarian imitations. For gold coins, the method