An elemental exploration of the metal contents of an early 13th-century craft box from Lõhavere, using pXRF
The craft box recovered from a 13thÂcentury hillfort at Lõhavere, Estonia, contained a well-preserved selection of copperÂalloy objects. The limited corrosion on these objects allowed a more accurate estimation of their compositions through nonÂdestructive surface measurements. Using the resulti...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | deu |
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Estonian Academy Publishers
2024-03-01
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| Series: | Eesti Arheoloogiaajakiri |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://kirj.ee/wp-content/plugins/kirj/pub/arch-1-2024-29-53_20240319101655.pdf |
| _version_ | 1797226137227624448 |
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| author | Esmee Jorinde Hummel Marcus Adrian Roxburgh Hans D. J. Huisman |
| author_facet | Esmee Jorinde Hummel Marcus Adrian Roxburgh Hans D. J. Huisman |
| author_sort | Esmee Jorinde Hummel |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The craft box recovered from a 13thÂcentury hillfort at Lõhavere, Estonia, contained a well-preserved selection of copperÂalloy objects. The limited corrosion on these objects allowed a more accurate estimation of their compositions through nonÂdestructive surface measurements. Using the resulting pXRF database, this study explored a possible correlation between the types of objects and their material composition. By comparing the most common contaminants with the alloying metals, a qualitative estimation of the material quality was conducted. The results showed that despite a considerable overlap between object types, the material composition dif fered based on the itemsâ appearance and function. A shift from brass to bronze and tinned objects coincided with a greater availability of tin at the hillfort, as well as a rise in silver smith ing. Moreover, objects with a silver appearance seemed to be more desirable in this period, apart from some highÂstatus personal ornaments and traditional spiral tube decorations. The results possibly reflect different metalworking practices compared to earlier periods and contemporary sites. Some evidence of recycling is present among the spiral tubes, suggesting that they originated from different raw material sources, possibly removed from obsolete clothing. Alternatively, this could indicate a varying quality of imported copperÂalloy, including wire, along the Hansa trade routes. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T14:20:07Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1e981014952f48d981b77a294d16a80b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1406-2933 1736-7484 |
| language | deu |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T14:20:07Z |
| publishDate | 2024-03-01 |
| publisher | Estonian Academy Publishers |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Eesti Arheoloogiaajakiri |
| spelling | doaj.art-1e981014952f48d981b77a294d16a80b2024-04-03T07:08:17ZdeuEstonian Academy PublishersEesti Arheoloogiaajakiri1406-29331736-74842024-03-012812953https://doi.org/10.3176/arch.2024.1.02https://doi.org/10.3176/arch.2024.1.02An elemental exploration of the metal contents of an early 13th-century craft box from Lõhavere, using pXRFEsmee Jorinde Hummel0Marcus Adrian Roxburgh1Hans D. J. Huisman2Groningen Institute of Archaeology, Groningen University, Postraat 6, 9712 ER Groningen, the NetherlandsDepartment of Archaeology, Institute of History and Archaeology, University of Tartu, Jakobi 2, 50090 Tartu, EstoniaGroningen Institute of Archaeology, Groningen University, Postraat 6, 9712 ER Groningen, the NetherlandsThe craft box recovered from a 13thÂcentury hillfort at Lõhavere, Estonia, contained a well-preserved selection of copperÂalloy objects. The limited corrosion on these objects allowed a more accurate estimation of their compositions through nonÂdestructive surface measurements. Using the resulting pXRF database, this study explored a possible correlation between the types of objects and their material composition. By comparing the most common contaminants with the alloying metals, a qualitative estimation of the material quality was conducted. The results showed that despite a considerable overlap between object types, the material composition dif fered based on the itemsâ appearance and function. A shift from brass to bronze and tinned objects coincided with a greater availability of tin at the hillfort, as well as a rise in silver smith ing. Moreover, objects with a silver appearance seemed to be more desirable in this period, apart from some highÂstatus personal ornaments and traditional spiral tube decorations. The results possibly reflect different metalworking practices compared to earlier periods and contemporary sites. Some evidence of recycling is present among the spiral tubes, suggesting that they originated from different raw material sources, possibly removed from obsolete clothing. Alternatively, this could indicate a varying quality of imported copperÂalloy, including wire, along the Hansa trade routes.https://kirj.ee/wp-content/plugins/kirj/pub/arch-1-2024-29-53_20240319101655.pdffinal iron agelivoniapxrfhansaarchaeometry |
| spellingShingle | Esmee Jorinde Hummel Marcus Adrian Roxburgh Hans D. J. Huisman An elemental exploration of the metal contents of an early 13th-century craft box from Lõhavere, using pXRF Eesti Arheoloogiaajakiri final iron age livonia pxrf hansa archaeometry |
| title | An elemental exploration of the metal contents of an early 13th-century craft box from Lõhavere, using pXRF |
| title_full | An elemental exploration of the metal contents of an early 13th-century craft box from Lõhavere, using pXRF |
| title_fullStr | An elemental exploration of the metal contents of an early 13th-century craft box from Lõhavere, using pXRF |
| title_full_unstemmed | An elemental exploration of the metal contents of an early 13th-century craft box from Lõhavere, using pXRF |
| title_short | An elemental exploration of the metal contents of an early 13th-century craft box from Lõhavere, using pXRF |
| title_sort | elemental exploration of the metal contents of an early 13th century craft box from lohavere using pxrf |
| topic | final iron age livonia pxrf hansa archaeometry |
| url | https://kirj.ee/wp-content/plugins/kirj/pub/arch-1-2024-29-53_20240319101655.pdf |
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