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Integrating Non-Destructive Ion Beam Analysis Methods and AMS Radiocarbon Dating for the Study of Ancient Bronze Statues

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 July 2016

Gianluca Quarta ,
Lucio Calcagnile  and
Massimo Vidale
Gianluca Quarta*
Affiliation:
CEDAD-Department of Engineering for Innovation, University of Salento, via per Monteroni, 73100 Lecce, Italy
Lucio Calcagnile
Affiliation:
CEDAD-Department of Engineering for Innovation, University of Salento, via per Monteroni, 73100 Lecce, Italy
Massimo Vidale
Affiliation:
Department of Cultural Heritage, University of Padua, Piazza Capitanato 7, 35139 Padova, Italy
*
Corresponding author. Email: Gianluca.quarta@unisalento.it
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Abstract

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Analytical methods based on particle accelerators are widely used in cultural heritage diagnostics and archaeological sciences from the absolute dating of organic materials by means of radiocarbon accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) to the analysis of the elemental composition of a wide range of materials (metals, obsidians, pottery) via ion beam analysis (IBA) techniques. At CEDAD (Centre for Dating and Diagnostics), the accelerator facility of the University of Salento, AMS 14C dating and PIXE (particle-induced X-ray emission)-PIGE (particle-induced gamma-ray emission) compositional analysis in external beam mode are combined to study certain archaeological materials. We present a review of the combined application of these analytical methods in the study of casting cores of the Riace bronzes, 2 classical Greek statues of extraordinary importance for the history of art.

Type
Articles
Information
Radiocarbon , Volume 54 , Issue 3-4 , 2012 , pp. 801 - 812
Copyright
Copyright © 2012 by the Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of the University of Arizona 

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