Papers by Agnese Benzonelli
Archaeometry, 2023
Material recovered from the Ma'agan Mikhael B shipwreck, off the coast of northern Israel, includ... more Material recovered from the Ma'agan Mikhael B shipwreck, off the coast of northern Israel, includes a significant assemblage of glass, which appears to represent waste workshop material (cullet) collected for recycling. Twenty-three samples were selected for analysis for major and minor elements using SEM-EDS, to provide insight into the activities and dating of the ship. The glass corresponds to known primary glass types, comprising a high-and a low-lime subgroup of Levantine 1 (Apollonia type), and Egypt 1b. The assemblage is likely to date to the early part of the eighth century CE and, in conjunction with the radiocarbon dating of the ship, gives a possible date range for the wreck of 710-740 C.E. All groups contain glassworking waste, glass chunks, and vessel fragments, and the majority are likely to have been collected from one or more workshops. It is unclear whether this cargo represents the byproducts of several campaigns of a single workshop which used different consignments of raw glass, or material from different workshops, collected at different ports of call.
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2021
The Maʻagan Mikhael B shipwreck is the remains of a 23-m-long merchantman found off the coast of ... more The Maʻagan Mikhael B shipwreck is the remains of a 23-m-long merchantman found off the coast of Israel. A significant portion of the wooden hull survived in a good state of preservation, and over 870 glass fragments were found inside the hull remains. The finds included lumps of raw glass and fragments of glass vessels, which were probably intended for recycling. Fragments of bowls, cups, wine glasses, oil lamps, tesserae, bracelets, a glass vessel seal and two almost intact bottles, were also found. Except for a few finds dated to the Late Roman period, most of the glass vessels were dated to the end of the Byzantine and/or the Umayyad periods (7th-8th centuries CE). This is the first time that a glass cargo discovered in a shipwreck from the Early Islamic period has been studied in detail, using typological and analytical methods. The results indicate maritime trade between glass workshops in Israel and Egypt, and that glass cullet was also exported from Israel, although the destination of this cargo is as yet unknown.
Journal of Archaeological Science: reports, 2021
The Maʻagan Mikhael B shipwreck is the remains of a 23-m-long merchantman found off the coast of ... more The Maʻagan Mikhael B shipwreck is the remains of a 23-m-long merchantman found off the coast of Israel. A significant portion of the wooden hull survived in a good state of preservation, and over 870 glass fragments were found inside the hull remains. The finds included lumps of raw glass and fragments of glass vessels, which were probably intended for recycling. Fragments of bowls, cups, wine glasses, oil lamps, tesserae, bracelets, a glass vessel seal and two almost intact bottles, were also found. Except for a few finds dated to the Late Roman period, most of the glass vessels were dated to the end of the Byzantine and/or the Umayyad periods (7th-8th centuries CE). This is the first time that a glass cargo discovered in a shipwreck from the Early Islamic period has been studied in detail, using typological and analytical methods. The results indicate maritime trade between glass workshops in Israel and Egypt, and that glass cullet was also exported from Israel, although the destination of this cargo is as yet unknown.
Historical Metallurgy, Volume 52 Part 1, 2018
Metal ingots are infrequent in the archaeological record, but when they do occur they can offer i... more Metal ingots are infrequent in the archaeological record, but when they do occur they can offer important insight into aspects of metallurgical technology and international trade. Here we present the elemental and isotopic characterisation of two post-medieval discoidal ingots found in Bromham, Wiltshire (UK), which are identified as Reißscheiben. Made of pure copper with a very low impurity content except for a small amount of lead, they are interpreted as resulting from copper refining, possibly following desilvering by liquation. The lead isotopic signature of the metal points to the Harz Mountains of Saxony as the source, which is precisely the region where Georgius Agricola recorded the production of these types of ingots in the mid-16th century.
Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Magazine, 2019
In 2017, two copper Reißscheiben ingots were reported to the Portable Antiquities Scheme. The ing... more In 2017, two copper Reißscheiben ingots were reported to the Portable Antiquities Scheme. The ingots were found in the 1980s in Bromham while ploughing an area of market garden (ST 971 669). Reißscheiben are produced from c. AD 1100 onwards. These are the first ingots of this type discovered in inland Britain as the majority of other known xamples are from shipwrecks. Therefore, the ingots provided an opportunity to undertake lead isotope analysis.
The results were consistent with ores from the Harz Mountains in Saxony. The exploitation of these ore deposits is historically documented from the first half of the 16th century, when this was one of the most industrialised regions of Europe. The likely date for these ingots is c. AD 1500–1700. The discovery of high quality copper ingots in Bromham raises interesting questions regarding the trade network used and their final destination, whether in Bromham or further afield.
Scientific Reports, 2019
For forty years, there has been a widely held belief that over 2,000 years ago the Chinese Qin de... more For forty years, there has been a widely held belief that over 2,000 years ago the Chinese Qin developed an advanced chromate conversion coating technology (CCC) to prevent metal corrosion. This belief was based on the detection of chromium traces on the surface of bronze weapons buried with the Chinese Terracotta Army, and the same weapons' very good preservation. We analysed weapons, lacquer and soils from the site, and conducted experimental replications of CCC and accelerated ageing. Our results show that surface chromium presence is correlated with artefact typology and uncorrelated with bronze preservation. Furthermore we show that the lacquer used to cover warriors and certain parts of weapons is rich in chromium, and we demonstrate that chromium on the metals is contamination from nearby lacquer after burial. The chromium anti-rust treatment theory should therefore be abandoned. The good metal preservation probably results from the moderately alkaline pH and very small particle size of the burial soil, in addition to bronze composition.
Scientific Reports, 2019
For forty years, there has been a widely held belief that over 2,000 years ago the Chinese Qin de... more For forty years, there has been a widely held belief that over 2,000 years ago the Chinese Qin developed an advanced chromate conversion coating technology (CCC) to prevent metal corrosion. This belief was based on the detection of chromium traces on the surface of bronze weapons buried with the Chinese Terracotta Army, and the same weapons' very good preservation. We analysed weapons, lacquer and soils from the site, and conducted experimental replications of CCC and accelerated ageing. Our results show that surface chromium presence is correlated with artefact typology and uncorrelated with bronze preservation. Furthermore we show that the lacquer used to cover warriors and certain parts of weapons is rich in chromium, and we demonstrate that chromium on the metals is contamination from nearby lacquer after burial. The chromium anti-rust treatment theory should therefore be abandoned. the good metal preservation probably results from the moderately alkaline pH and very small particle size of the burial soil, in addition to bronze composition.
XRD and Materials Analysis, 2018
Experimental design of the Cu-As-Sn ternary colour diagram, Dec 22, 2018
The aesthetic appearance of metals has long been recognised in archaeometric studies as an import... more The aesthetic appearance of metals has long been recognised in archaeometric studies as an important factor driving inventions and innovations in the evolution of metal production. Nevertheless, while the studies of ancient gold metallurgy are well supported by the modern research in colour characteristics of gold alloys, the colour properties of major prehistoric copper alloys, like arsenical copper and tin bronzes, remain either largely understudied or not easily accessible to the western scholarship. A few published studies have already indicated that alloying and heat treatment change the colours of copper alloys, although they are mainly based on the examples of prehistoric tin bronze objects and experimental casts. Here we present the procedure for building the Cu-As-Sn ternary colour diagram, starting with experimental casting of 64 binary and ternary alloys in this system. We used two types of information to produce two different ternary colour diagrams: one, based on photographs of the samples, and the other, established on the colorimetric measurements. Furthermore, we developed the procedure for creating a graphic representation of colours in the Cu-As-Sn ternary diagram using QGIS. As an initial case study, we plotted the composition of the world’s earliest tin bronze artefacts; the graphic representation further supports claims about the importance of golden hue for their invention and demand, c. 6,500 years ago. We argue that the presented colour diagrams will find wide use in future investigations of aesthetics of prehistoric copper alloys.
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Copper alloys with controlled contents of Sn, Ag and Au were treated with methods and solutions t... more Copper alloys with controlled contents of Sn, Ag and Au were treated with methods and solutions that mimic those used in ancient and traditional procedures for the production of black bronze. Examination of the resulting patinas with colorimetry, SEM–EDS, TEM, Raman spectroscopy and XRD revealed no systematic differences according to the fabrication method, whereas patina homogeneity and colour in those alloys that did not contain precious metal were affected by superficial work. Patina microstructure determines adherence and coverage, and depends upon the solution used irrespective of the alloy composition, but the colour of the patina is mainly related to the alloy composition. Gold promotes the development of cuprite, slowing the oxidation to tenorite in the corrosion process. Gold additions produce a more uniform patina as well as a desirable blue–black tone, which is likely to have been a factor in alloy selection.
Scientific Reports by Agnese Benzonelli
Final Report of Archaeological Excavations at Holme Cultram Abbey, Summer season 2014, pp. 110-119. Grampus Heritage., 2014
Conference Presentations by Agnese Benzonelli
ISA - International Symposium on Archaeometry. Los Angeles, California, USA
8th conference on the Beginning of Use of Metals and Alloys (BUMA), Nara, Japan, 2013
The tsuba 9528 is formed by 97.4Ag 2.6Cu wt% alloy with many metallic (birds) and enamel (flowers... more The tsuba 9528 is formed by 97.4Ag 2.6Cu wt% alloy with many metallic (birds) and enamel (flowers and leaves) decorations. The analyses have confirmed that the enamel are characterized by a modern composition with Pb, K, SiO 2 and SnO as opacifier.
Blog posts by Agnese Benzonelli
SAS Bulleting - Spring 2020, 2020
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Papers by Agnese Benzonelli
The results were consistent with ores from the Harz Mountains in Saxony. The exploitation of these ore deposits is historically documented from the first half of the 16th century, when this was one of the most industrialised regions of Europe. The likely date for these ingots is c. AD 1500–1700. The discovery of high quality copper ingots in Bromham raises interesting questions regarding the trade network used and their final destination, whether in Bromham or further afield.
Full text on: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305440317301759
Scientific Reports by Agnese Benzonelli
Conference Presentations by Agnese Benzonelli
Blog posts by Agnese Benzonelli
The results were consistent with ores from the Harz Mountains in Saxony. The exploitation of these ore deposits is historically documented from the first half of the 16th century, when this was one of the most industrialised regions of Europe. The likely date for these ingots is c. AD 1500–1700. The discovery of high quality copper ingots in Bromham raises interesting questions regarding the trade network used and their final destination, whether in Bromham or further afield.
Full text on: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305440317301759