X-ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy of Picrolite Raw Material on Cyprus

Heritage

卷:5

Vasiliki Kassianidou¹  Theodora Moutsiou¹  Christian Reepmeyer¹  Andreas Charalambous¹  Demetrios Ioannides¹  Zomenia Zomeni²  Mathieu Thoury³  Sebastian Schöder⁴  Sam M. Webb⁵ 

[1]Archaeological Research Unit, University of Cyprus, P.O. Box 20537, Nicosia 1678, Cyprus

[2]|Geological Survey Department, P.O. Box 24543, Lefkosia 1301, Cyprus

[3]|IPANEMA, Synchrotron SOLEIL, Saint-Aubin BP48, F-91192 Gif-sur-Yvette, France

[4]|PUMA Beamline, Synchrotron SOLEIL, Saint-Aubin BP48, F-91192 Gif-sur-Yvette, France

[5]|SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford University, 2575 Sand Hill Rd., Mailstop 0069, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA

关键词: picrolite;    X-ray fluorescence;    synchrotron microspectroscopy;    sourcing;    Cyprus;   

DOI  :  10.3390/heritage5020037

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Picrolite artefacts comprise some of the most distinctive material remains in the prehistory of the island of Cyprus, in the Eastern Mediterranean. Picrolite exploitation dates from at least 12,000 years ago for the manufacture of personal ornaments and items with a symbolic function. It is commonly assumed that picrolite nodules were collected in secondary deposits on an ad hoc basis. This narrative, however, ignores the fact that picrolite carriers can only be found in very specific locations on the island, discrete from each other. Here we report initial outcomes of the application of handheld portable X-ray fluorescence (HHpXRF) and synchrotron-based X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (SR-μXRF) to the analysis of picrolite raw materials performed at the newly opened PUMA beamline of the SOLEIL Synchrotron Radiation Facility. Our work refines the basic characteristics of the elemental constituents of the picrolite raw material and highlights key micro-structural differences between two distinct source regions on the Troodos Massif in western Cyprus. Picrolite source characterisation is expected to contribute significant new knowledge to the study of rare raw material consumption, prehistoric social organisation, networking and possible long-distance exchange of this idiosyncratic raw material within and beyond the island’s geographic boundaries.

【 授权许可】

Unknown