Open AccessAnalysis of gilded teeth from the 11th–13th c. burial in the Zmeyskiy cemetery (Republic of North Ossetia — Alania)
Author(s) -
S.Yu. Frizen,
E. S. Vashchenkova,
A. Yu. Loboda,
N. N. Presnyakova,
V. M. Pozhidaev,
В. М. Ретивов,
E. Yu. Tereschenko,
Marat A. Bakushev,
S. Vasiliev,
E. B. Yatsishina
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
vestnik arheologii, antropologii i ètnografii
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.201
H-Index - 1
eISSN - 2071-0437
pISSN - 1811-7465
DOI - 10.20874/2071-0437-2020-51-4-16
Subject(s) - archaeology , scanning electron microscope , enamel paint , inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry , materials science , mass spectrometry , chemistry , ancient history , mineralogy , geology , art , metallurgy , chromatography , geography , composite material , history
Presented are the results of analysis of paleoanthropological materials — two teeth with gilded surface — found in catacomb 62 (Excavation III) of the Zmeyskiy burial ground (Stn Zmeyskaya, Kirovsky District, North Ossetia — Alania). The burial is dated to the 11th–12th c. This material is unique both for the area and the cultural tradition, and for the specified period. The scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray micro-analysis, gas chromatography mass-spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry were used. It has been determined that gilding was performed using organic binders — a mixture of animal fat, linseed and hemp oils. Based on the coating weakness, as well as traces of gilding detected on the dentin below the enamel layer, it has been concluded that the gilding process was postmortem. The analysis of composition of gold (Au 86.2 wt%, Ag 13.2 wt%), micro- and trace impurities, and its comparison with published data made it possible to attribute this gold to epithermal Au-Ag ores.