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X-ray computed microtomography for the structural analysis of jewelry from the Museum “Royal Tombs of Sipán”

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 August 2020

Soraia Rodrigues de Azeredo Open the ORCID record for Soraia Rodrigues de Azeredo [Opens in a new window] ,
Roberto Cesareo ,
Angel Guillermo Bustamante Dominguez  and
Ricardo Tadeu Lopes
Soraia Rodrigues de Azeredo*
Affiliation:
Nuclear Instrumentation Laboratory, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rua Horacio Macedo 2030, Sala 1-133, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, CNPq, Brazil
Roberto Cesareo
Affiliation:
Istituto di Matematica e Fisica, Università di Sassari, via Vienna 2, 07100Sassari, Italy
Angel Guillermo Bustamante Dominguez
Affiliation:
Departamento Académico de Física del Estado Sólido, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Calle Germán Amézaga 375, Ciudad Universitaria, Lima, Peru
Ricardo Tadeu Lopes
Affiliation:
Nuclear Instrumentation Laboratory, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rua Horacio Macedo 2030, Sala 1-133, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
*
a)Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. Electronic mail: soraiafis@gmail.com
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Abstract

Precious ornaments from the Museum Royal Tombs of Sipán were analyzed by X-ray computed microtomography (microCT). The ornaments analyzed were golden earrings produced by the Moche culture that flourished along the north coast of present-day Peru between approximately 100 and 600 AD. Sipán, also known as Huava Rajada, is a mochica archaeological complex in the north of Peru. In particular, the spectacular jewelry, mainly composed of gold, silver, and copper alloys, gilded copper, and tumbaga, from the Museum “Royal Tombs of Sipán,” in Lambayeque, north of Peru, are some of the most sophisticated metalworking ever produced of pre-Columbian America. A portable microCT system consisting of a high-resolution flat panel detector and a mini X-ray tube were used for the structural analysis of these ornaments. The microCT images show parts of the internal structure, highlighting the manufacturing technique and gold sheets joining techniques of the Moche artisans. Furthermore, the advantage of using the portable microCT system for nondestructive testing is clear when the sample cannot be taken to the laboratory.

Keywords

archaeometrymicrotomographyjewelerypre-Columbian civilization
Type
Proceedings Paper
Information
Powder Diffraction , Volume 35 , Supplement S1 , December 2020 , pp. S38 - S42
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Copyright
Copyright © 2020 International Centre for Diffraction Data

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