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Proceedings of the International Conference, 29-30 October 2008 Sofia, Publishing House St. Ivan Rilski, Sofia, 239-243.
COMPOSITION OF GOLD AND SILVER OBJECTS FROM THE SOUTH URALS BURIAL
MOUNDS (XV-II c. BC)
Victor V. Zaykov1, Anatolii M. Yuminov1, Alexader D. Tairov2, Dmitrii G. Zdanovich3,
Eugenii I. Churin1, Vasilii A. Kotlyarov1, Elisaveta V. Zaykova1
1Institute
ABSTRACT. The composition of auri- and argentiferous products from ten burial mounds of different age (XV-II c. BC) from the South Urals has
been studied. Using microprobe analysis of Au, Ag, Cu, Sn, Pb, Zn ratios have been determined in the artefacts presented by pendants, torques,
ear-rings, bracelets and foil from quiver cover plate, bridle cover plate, and saddle-tree cover plate. The characteristic composition of auriferous
alloy for each period has been established: in the Bronze Age pure native gold has been used for the manufacture of jewellery; for the Early Iron
Age application of binary alloys is observed; while in the Late Iron Age three-part artificial alloys have been documented. Some conclusions for the
possible sources of gold and silver are made. The most certain source of gold is suggested for objects in which Os-mineral inclusions are
presented that are typical for inclusions in the ultrabasic rocks in the East-Urals Fault zone.
Introduction
Since the end of the last century there has been a plenty of
publications, devoted to the research of ancient gold. Besides
the archaeological description and dating of artefacts, these
studies discussed problems of the reconstruction of some
objects, possible manufacturing technique, definition of
geochemical features of ancient alloys and the identification of
ore sources (Northover et al., 1995).
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Table 1
Composition of gold objects from burial mounds in the South Urals
Burial mound
Age
Chekotay
Stepnoe-7
XV BC
XV-XIV BC
Varnensky
VII-VI BC
Bolshoi Klimovsky
VI-V BC
Solonchanka-1
V-VI BC
Kichiginsky
IV BC
Sorzhan-Kystau
IV-III BC
Druzhensky
Mavrinsky
III-V BC
III-II BC
Objects
ring facing
pendant facing
tress ornament
tress ornament
foil
foil from quiver cover plate
foil from bridle cover plate
foil from saddle cover plate
saddle-tree plate
foil from horse statuette cover plate
pendant
torque
bracelet
foil-1
foil-2
ring
pendant
small pendant
ear-ring
ear-ring
ring
pendant with carnelian
pendants
Number of
analyses
4
5
5
4
7
6
4
5
3
6
4
12
6
9
6
6
7
10
3
4
3
3
3
Au
59.75
86.28
88.16
86.69
76.55
37.08
37.00
41.52
38.04
48.73
15.16
83.26
72.68
64.63
77.46
81.84
82.03
83.39
79.56
69.69
84.36
87.61
83.99
Contents, wt. %
Ag
36.30
12.13
13.77
13.69
17.68
56.05
55.98
49.52
55.11
43.80
84.01
12.99
23.23
32.43
21.79
14.30
13.99
11.85
15.00
28.82
15.05
10.48
15.27
Cu
0.13
0.89
0.95
0.96
4.29
4.66
5.49
6.28
5.02
6.01
2.46
4.06
3.95
3.02
0.43
3.77
3.45
4.47
2.53
2.51
5.52
3.59
1.56
Notes. Electronic microprobe JCXA-733 Jeol; conditions of the analysis U=20 kV, I=20 nA, diameter of a probe 5 m; operator Eu. I. Churin. REMMA 202M;
conditions of the analysis U=20 kV, pencil of electron diameter 5 m; operator V. A. Kotlyarov.
Table 2
Results of the X-ray-spectral analysis of osmium inclusions in ancient gold objects
Contents, wt. %
Burial
Age
Objects
Number of
mound
analyses
Os
Ir
Ru
Stepnoe-7
XIV-XV BC pendant
*5
39.75-41.46
33.56-34.56
24.13-25.75
40.69
34.09
24.85
bracelet
*3
48.07-53.24
32.69-35.87
13.80-15.55
Kichigino
V-IV BC
49.99
34.55
14.79
bracelet
**5
48.14-51.51
34.89-37.63
13.07-14.43
49.61
36.10
13.92
Fe
0.00-0.64
0.37
-
Notes: The dash a component is not found. In numerator limits of fluctuations, in denominator average contents.
*Electronic microprobe JCXA-733 Jeol; conditions of the analysis U=20 kV, I=20 nA, pencil of electron diameter 5 m ; operator Eu. I. Churin.
**REMMA 202M; conditions of the analysis U=20 kV, pencil of electron diameter 2 m; operator V. A. Kotlyarov.
Table 3
Results of the microprobe analysis of silver objects from Early Iron Age burial places in the South Urals
Contents, wt. %
N
Numbers of
Objects
analyses
Cu
Au
Ag
Zn
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
pendant
spiral
torque
cover plate
cover plate
cover plate
2.3-2.7
2.5
0.9-2.3
1.8
2.3-3.8
3.0
0.2-5.5
3.0
4.0-5.2
4.6
7.7-23.3
13.2
2.99
14.0-15.8
15.2
0.2-1.1
0.4
0.2-0.4
0.3
0.0-0.3
0.2
0.63
83.0-84.8
84.0
97.1-98.8
97.9
94.2-98.4
96.3
87.2-99.0
91.7
86.4-90.1
88.4
75.2-90.4
84.3
94.99
Pb
Sn
0.2-4.8
2.8
3.8-4.6
4.3
0.2-0.3
0.2
0.38
0.0-1.8
0.8
0.0-1,8
1.2
0.0-3.9
1.3
0.00
Notes: 1-3 Kichiginsky burial mound; 4-7 barrows from the Southern group.
The dash a component is not found. In numerator limits of fluctuations, in denominator average contents.
Electronic microprobe JCXA-733 Jeol; conditions of the analysis U=20 kV, I=20 nA, pencil of electron diameter 5 m; operator Eu. I. Churin.
241
0.2-0.5
0.2
3.06
Conclusions
Each period has a specific gold-containing alloy:
in the Bronze Age pure native gold was used for production
of jewellery (Chekotay burial mound);
in the Early Iron Age binary alloys [Au+Ag]-[Cu] were used
(the Varnensky Klimovsky, Sorzhan-Kystay, Mavrinsky burial
mounds);
in the Late Iron Age three-part artificial alloys [Au]-[Ag]-[Cu]
were used (the Solonchanka and Druzhensky burial mounds).
The foil from the Chekotai and Krutaya Gora burial mounds
is close in composition to the metal of Au-Ag-deposits, which
are located in volcanogenic sequences. Most likely, to
manufacture the gold foil from the Chekotai burial mound
electrum a natural Au-Ag-alloy has been used.
References
Bushmakin, F. A., V. V. Zaykov, A. M. Yuminov, A. D. Tairov.
1999. Composition of gold objects from a complex the
Solonchanka-I burial mound with moustaches. In: Burial
Mound with Moustaches Solonchanka-I. Chelyabinsk
State University Press, Chelyabinsk, 80-84 (in Russian).
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