Authors: Omid Oudbashi Ata Hasanpour Parviz Davami
Publish Date: 2016/03/07
Volume: 122, Issue: 4, Pages: 262-
Abstract
The recently study of the corrosion in some bronze artefacts from the Sangtarashan Iron Age site western Iran was established to identify corrosion morphology and mechanism in these objects The corrosion layers in 22 samples were studied by optical microscopy scanning electron microscopy–energydispersive Xray spectroscopy and Xray diffraction methods The results showed that a thin corrosion crust has formed on the surface of bronzes with a triplelayer structure including two internal and one external corrosion layers The formation of these layers is due to copper leaching from the bronze surface The internal corrosion part has been a compact tinrich corrosion/oxidation product noble patina with some evidences from original metallurgical aspects of the bronze as well as a very thin layer beneath the tinrich layer External corrosion products have been identified as basic copper carbonates malachite and azurite Based on the results the corrosion morphology in the Sangtarashan Iron Age bronzes is due to longterm burial in an appropriate environment in a moderately corrosive soil Although it is the first time to investigate Iron Age bronzes from Iran this corrosion morphology is partially similar to type I corrosion morphology observed in archaeological bronze objects nevertheless some deviations are visible in comparison with previously established patternsThe authors are thankful to Behnam Rahmani SEM laboratory of RMRC Tehran for his help to carry out SEM–EDS analyses Javad Abedi Central Laboratory of University of Isfahan for his help to carry out XRD analyses Dr Mehrdad Malekzadeh archaeological expedition of Sangtarashan Dr Luc Robbiola Laboratoire TRACES Université Toulouse II Atefeh Shekofteh Dr S Mohammadamin Emami and Dr Mohammad Mortazavi Art University of Isfahan for their useful comments and help
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