Mineralogical and geochemical data on metallic artifacts from the National Archaeological Museum of the Agro Picentino – Pontecagnano (Salerno)

Pontecagnano (SE of Salerno) archaeological site, the ancient town of Amina (renamed “Picentia” by the Romans) is the largest Etruscan outpost in the south (Camporeale, 2013; Cerchiai, 2013; Cuozzo, 2013). Archaeological investigations - started since the 1960s - certify the area has been inhabited as early as late Neolithic. At the beginning of the 3rd millennium BC the area was settled by peoples of Gaudo culture, probably immigrated from Anatolia. Gaudo population worked metals, as testified from copper daggers and other weapons excavated from more than 9.000 tombs in the area. The National Archaeological Museum of the Agro Picentino was instituted in 2007 and contains more than 8000 findings mainly related to tomb outfits (Tocco, 2007). The main Etruscan settlement was founded between the end of the X and beginning of IX century b.C. on the left side of the Picentino river. The period of its greatest development was the “Orientalizing” age (end of VIII-VII century b.C.), when great and wealthy aristocratic families (the so-called “Princes”) took the power, as also testified by precious artifacts found in the Pontecagnano burials. Then, the settlement took urban connotations, becoming a frontier community. This work deals with mineralogical and geochemical characterization of various metallic artifacts spanning in age from early Eneolithic/Bronze Age to IV century b.C. by means of X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) and micro Xray fluorescence m-XRF. The objects are of different types (fibulae, rings, earrings, spears, pins, ingots, slags, etc.), and are mainly composed of lead, copper, silver and bronze. The bronze artifacts are high-Sn (17.3 to 27.4 %, Sn), as expected by ancient alloys; lead and iron, as well as titanium and nickel to a lesser extent, can be also present as minor to trace components. The silver artifacts can contain small amounts of copper, iron and gold; in one case a copper object (91.4 % Cu) also shows other metallic components, as lead (4.8 %), bismuth (2.6 %) and iron (1.1 %). Interesting microstructures are also observed. Finally, the combined use of two spectroscopic techniques allowed us to verify the potential of m-XRF in archaeometallurgy sector in order to carry out non-destructive and non-invasive analyses. Camporeale G. 2013. Vetulonia e Pontecagnano. Due centri etruschi della prima età del Ferro. In: F. Cerchiai L. (2013) Tra Capua e Pontecagnano. La valle del Sarno e la Campania interna tra il Ferro e l’Orientalizzante. In: F. Rafanelli (Ed.) Vetulonia, Pontecagnano e Capua. Vite parallele di tre città etrusche. ARA Edizioni, 30-33. Cuozzo M. 2013. I “principi” di Pontecagnano. In: F. Rafanelli (Ed.) Vetulonia, Pontecagnano e Capua. Vite parallele di tre città etrusche. ARA Edizioni, 40-43. Tocco G. 2007. Guida al Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Pontecagnano. Soprintendenza Beni Archeologici SA-AV-BN, 50 p.