Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry

Pending results of non-destructive analyses at the APS at Argonne National Laboratory, the 1st millennium BC bracelet from Tsaghahovit may be the subject SIMS (secondary ion mass spectrometry)-based lead isotope analysis (LIA) of the source(s) of the metal used to make the object. Again, the results would be compared with SIMS LIA of copper and bronze adornments from Velikent conducted during May 2007. Although belonging to widely-separate periods, ore and metal deposits were frequently re-used, and the comparison would be part of the early stage in a broader effort to identify the sources of early copper and bronze utilized in the Caucasus. In particular, tin bronzes from Velikent show elevated levels of nickel similar to those found in early copper/bronze metalwork from Armenia, and the comparison of results will allow us to address whether they were derived from the same source(s).