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Archaeol Anthropol Sci (2018) 10:1841–1849

DOI 10.1007/s12520-017-0502-9

ORIGINAL PAPER

Non-destructive spectroscopic investigation of artefacts


from middle Hallstatt period—case study of a stone bead
from Tărtăria I hoard, Romania
Luminița Ghervase 1 & Ioana Maria Cortea 1 & Roxana Rădvan 1 & Corina Borș 2

Received: 23 March 2017 / Accepted: 25 April 2017 / Published online: 16 May 2017
# Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2017

Abstract A stone bead, part of a necklace found in a middle as a way to trade. Beads have long been an expression of social
Hallstatt period—type of settlement—the Tărtăria site in Alba status, wealth, gender, and other symbolic attributes (Bar-Yosef
County, Romania, was investigated following a non- Mayer 2016). Beyond the cultural aspects, such artefacts can
destructive approach, by means of energy-dispersive X-ray provide information on the migration routes as well, some of the
fluorescence spectrometry and Fourier transform infrared materials used for the manufacture being specific only for par-
spectroscopy. The highly heterogenous object, found together ticular geographical areas (Liu et al. 2012; Zhu et al. 2012).
with numerous bronze and iron objects, appeared to be a va- During human history, an extremely large variety of mate-
riety of chalcedony rich in iron and copper impurities, still rials have been employed to manufacture beads, such as sea-
preserving clay minerals from the sedimentary matrix in some shells, animal bones, teeth, horns or tusks, wood, glass, fa-
of the areas. Organic molecules found at the surface of the ience, stones, and minerals (Bar-Yosef Mayer & Porat 2008;
stone artefact may indicate the presence of a wax or resin Bar-Yosef Mayer 2016). The value of a bead was based on the
residue, possible evidence of early craft specialization. The craftsmanship required for its production or on the scarcity of
non-destructive protocol applied allowed an in-depth charac- the product from which it was crafted; considering the avail-
terization of the artefact, providing important information not able references to date, no chalcedony bead is known to exist
only on the crystal structure but also on the diagnostic impu- among the artefacts part of bronze hoards assigned to the
rities present within this peculiar stone bead. HaB 3 –HaC period within the inner Carpathian area
(Petrescu-Dîmbovița 1977; Metzner-Nebelsick 2005). Thus,
Keywords Archaeological stone bead . X-ray fluorescence the worth of the base material has to be considered within
spectroscopy . Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy . the specific methods and culture of the time.
Tărtăria hoards . Chalcedony . Organic residues Often, depending on the nature, age, condition, and impor-
tance of the object, non-destructive techniques are the preferred
approach to study archaeological findings. Nevertheless, micro-
invasivemethodssuch as laser-inducedbreakdownspectroscopy
Introduction
(LIBS) or neutron activation analysis (NAA) have proven useful
for characterization of archaeological objects (Simileanu and
Small artefacts, usually perforated beads, have been used in
Rădvan 2011; Glascock and Neff 2003). From the great variety
many cultures for centuries as adornment in jewellery, as well
of analytical techniques currently available (Papachristodoulou
et al. 2006; Tripati et al. 2010; Bagdzevičienė et al. 2011; Centeno
* Ioana Maria Cortea et al. 2012), X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy and Fourier
ioana.cortea@inoe.ro transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy were chosen for this
study, so as to obtain information regarding the elemental and
1
National Institute of Research and Development for Optoelectronics molecular composition of the stone bead. This analytic approach
INOE 2000, 409 Atomiștilor St, Măgurele, Ilfov County, Romania did not require any sampling, the integrity of the object being
2
National Museum of Romanian History, 12 Calea Victoriei St, maintained, a key aspect as most archaeologists and conservators
Bucharest, Romania do not allow any destruction of the artefact.
1842 Archaeol Anthropol Sci (2018) 10:1841–1849

XRF is a surface analysis technique, used to detect inorganic excavation of about 2 ha was fully investigated, where 269 archae-
materials, containing elements from Na to U. Being a totally non- ological complexes (mostly from the middle Hallstatt period—the
destructive technique, it is very suitable for the analysis of archae- Basarabi ceramic style) were found. A variety of archaeological
ological findings (Phillips and Speakman 2009; Gauss et al. remains have been excavated, e.g. (possible) semi-sunken dwell-
2013), especially when in situ measurements are required ings, offering pits (with pottery broken in situ), refuse and extrac-
(Speakman et al. 2011; Gasanova et al. 2016; Müskens et al. tion pits, but also certain particular vestiges—two ditches marking
2017). In the field of archaeology, researchers have paid much the southern and eastern limits of the site, two bronze hoards (com-
attention to XRF in provenance studies, based on the idea that prising over 400 bronze and iron objects, dated to the middle
every object has a unique chemical fingerprint which can link it period of the First Iron Age (Ha C1 period–the Bâlvăneşti-Vinţ
to the rock it was made from or to the geographical region of origin series, eighth century B.C), and a collective grave. Also, a large
(Pillay et al. 2000; Craig et al. 2007). FTIR can offer complex quantity of Basarabi-type pottery was uncovered, as well as a great
chemical information regarding the molecular matrix of the number of metal objects (weapons, tools, and adornments of
analysed objects, identifying simultaneously both organic and bronze and iron). Considering all the data recorded and the pre-
inorganic compounds. FTIR analysis can provide powerful infor- liminary analysis of the very rich archaeological finds from
mation on inorganic substances as well, allowing exact identifi- Tărtăria–Podu Tărtăriei vest, this site can be considered as a very
cation on a large range of compounds such as sulphates, carbon- important one for the middle Hallstatt period in Transylvania and
ates, nitrates, phosphates, or silica (Bagdzevičienė et al. 2011; neighbouring areas.
Cantisani et al. 2012; Centeno et al. 2012; Cârciumaru et al. 2012). An interesting find pertaining to Tărtăria I bronze hoard is a
There are a number of studies focused on historic, necklace made of bronze, bone, and stone beads, discovered in a
archaeologic, or anthropologic facts regarding ancient beads. boundary/defence ditch in the southern part of the Middle
Studies involving analytical techniques were meant to deter- Hallstatt period site. The ditch was set up in a natural gully fed
mine the chemical composition of glass (Sokaras et al. 2009; by underground springs, a very high moisture environment. The
Zhu et al. 2012; Robertshaw 2014), gemstones, greenstone necklace was found inside a ceramic vessel, in a phalera, along-
minerals (Middleton et al. 2007; Delgado Robles et al. side 300 bronze and iron artefacts of different kinds. This is a
2015), and metal (Galli et al. 2011) beads, the information piece comprising three bone rings, a stone bead, five bronze rings
obtained providing new insights on the technological features (most probably one being a broken pendant), and 30 bronze
and raw materials utilized during manufacture. beads of various shapes. Up to now, this necklace has no close
The paper reports the analyses conducted on a special stone analogies among the finds of the middle Hallstatt period valley in
bead, part of necklace made of bronze, bone, and stone beads, Transylvania or the neighbouring areas. The exact nature of the
recovered from a recent archaeological discovery, the Tărtăria depositional space is not yet clear, as no specific function could be
deposit in Alba County, Romania (Borș et al. 2014). The ob- assigned to the ditch in which the necklace was found. A possible
jects part of the Tărtăria I and II bronze and iron object hoards, explanation could be that this space has a votive character, as
uncovered at the Tărtăria–Podu Tărtăriei vest site, were dated there are known connections between moist spaces such as this
to approximately eighth century B.C. In order to answer some one and large votive deposits throughout the history of mankind
research questions regarding the manufacturing techniques, (Soroceanu 1995). Figure 2 shows the reconstruction of the neck-
such as how and what they were made of, if they were pro- lace, made for a temporary exhibition of the Tărtăria hoards at the
duced locally, or what the purpose of the objects found at National History Museum in Romania. The necklace was recon-
Tărtăria was, an interdisciplinary approach involving non- structed according to the archaeologists’ field notes, but the bone
invasive physico-chemical analysis was carried out. beads were not included given their state of preservation.
The stone bead (temporary inv. no. MNIR TPTv 12203)
was chosen for this study, being the only one of this type
Archaeological context discovered at this archaeological site. The hemispherical red-
dish stone bead (Fig. 3), probably made by polishing and
The prehistoric site Tărtăria–Podu Tărtăriei vest (Alba perforation, has 1 cm external diameter and appears smooth,
County, Romania) was discovered during large-scale preven- with no visible degradation marks on the surface.
tive archaeological field investigations (Fig. 1), in the spring
of 2012, occasioned by the construction of the A1 motorway
along the Mureș River valley. Methodology
The field research was undertaken by an archaeological team
from the NationalHistory Museum ofRomania.The site is located XRF measurements
north of Tărtăria village (Săliște commune, Alba County), on a
plateau situated on the upper left terrace of the Mureş valley. XRF measurements were performed using TRACER III
During the spring and summer of 2012, an archaeological energy-dispersive XRF spectrometer by Bruker Elemental,
Archaeol Anthropol Sci (2018) 10:1841–1849 1843

Fig. 1 Map showing the location of Tărtăria archaeological site, in Alba County, Romania

equipped with a Rh X-ray target. Tube settings were adjusted As indicated by Forouzan et al. (2012), in order to com-
using Bruker X-Ray Ops software. Two measurement condi- pensate for the lack of uniformity of the artefact, which would
tions were employed: setup 1 (40 kV high voltage, 10.60 μA be expected when using non-destructive techniques, analyses
current intensity, 60 s acquisition time, in ambient air, no were performed on several parts of the sample. Four areas
filter), which allows a reasonable representation of all ele- were chosen on the two sides of the stone bead, as can be seen
ments from the energy range between 1 and 40 keV, and setup in Fig. 3: areas P1 and P2 were on the light-coloured side,
2 (15 kV high voltage, 25 μA current intensity, in vacuum, while P3 and P4 were on the darker, reddish side.
15 s acquisition time, no filter), which enables a more accurate Instrument stability was checked using a Duplex 2205
detection of lower atomic number elements. stainless steel alloy. Spectra were acquired using the
S1PXRF software (Bruker AXS Handheld Inc.) and proc-
essed with Spectra version 7.4 (Bruker AXS MA) and
Origin 8 (OriginLab Corporation, USA).

Fig. 2 Reconstruction of the necklace (a), with detail on the stone bead
(b) Fig. 3 Analysis areas on the two sides of the stone bead
1844 Archaeol Anthropol Sci (2018) 10:1841–1849

FTIR measurements Ba, P, S, As, Nb, Bi, and possibly Sn and Re. It might appear
strange to discover metals such as Cu, Fe, and Pb as major
Infrared spectra were recorded in attenuated total reflectance elements in a stone object, but one must take into consider-
(ATR) mode with a PerkinElmer Spectrum Two FTIR spec- ation the fact that metals have higher sensitivity to X-rays as
trometer. Spectra were acquired in the mid-infrared region compared to non-metals and metalloids. Though less likely,
4000–400 cm−1, at a resolution of 4 cm−1 by averaging eight the high metal contribution could be due to the degradation
scans. Analysis was carried in situ, by direct contact between products of nearby bronze objects. Several literature studies
the sample and the ATR crystal (Pike Technologies GladiATR have addressed the role of soil features in the surface enrich-
accessory). In terms of data processing, a smooth factor was ment of archaeological objects (Paterakis 2003; Mezzi et al.
applied and the second derivative profile was calculated. Data 2012; Fernandes et al. 2013), explaining how the surrounding
were processed with Essential FTIR v3.5. Measurements were burial site’s features can influence an archaeological item.
performed on the same analysis areas as for the XRF analysis. Furthermore, as noted by Liu et al. (2012), in case of objects
with patina layer, the behaviour of the elements from this layer
is also affected by the heterogeneity of the original material.
Results and discussion The first setup, which allows a fair detection of all elements
from 1 to 40 keV, evidenced some specific trace elements that
The XRF spectra recorded in both setups are shown in Fig. 4. had not been evidenced in the bronze beads (Rădvan et al.
Data interpretation must consider the fact that the chemical 2016), such as the Nb, Rb, and Zr (Fig. 4a), all of which might
composition of archaeological objects, which have been bur- be linked to chalcedony. Their presence could be important, as
ied in soil for various periods of time, can be altered by the sometimes, data analysis is focused not on the major elements,
contact with the soil matrix, to the extent that it could no but on discovery and interpretation of the trace elements in a
longer be representative for the original object. Even more, sample. Such trace elements can be used, when dealing with a
this is an important aspect when using surface analysis tech- larger number of samples, to identify common features and
niques, such as the XRF, which have limited penetration possibly trace down the origin of the samples. Along with the
depth, in order to characterize objects with patina/corrosion/ stone bead, a soil sample, taken from the Tărtăria site, was
foreign materials. The recorded spectra show that Cu and Fe analysed using this setup, after being passed through a sieve in
are the major elements found at the surface of the sample, order to eliminate larger particles and impurities, and ground.
while for Si, K, Ca, and Pb, lower intensities were detected. The soil sample used as control has lower background and
Aside from the major elements, a close look at the spectra scattering, due to the improved measuring conditions (homo-
revealed several trace elements: Al, Ti, Mn, Zn, Rb, Sr, Zr, geneity and thickness of the sample). The soil had an inverse

Fig. 4 XRF spectra of the stone bead. a Setup 1—40 kV, 10.60 μA, 60 s, air, no filter. b Setup 2—15 kV, 25 μA, 15 s, vacuum, no filter
Archaeol Anthropol Sci (2018) 10:1841–1849 1845

ratio of Fe and Cu, with Fe Kα peak being more intense than discussed based on the mean values. Based on the elemental
the Cu Kα, as opposed to the stone’s spectra, which showed normalized net count rates from the four analysed areas, ana-
higher Cu lines as compared to the Fe lines. Trace elements lytical percent deviations from the mean values were calculat-
such as Ti, Ni, Mn, K, Pb, Ca, Zr, Zn, and Sr were also found ed for each element. The highest deviations were found for Ca
in the soil sample. However, further analyses, such as neutron (48%), Fe (41%), Nb (34%), Cu, P (25%), Ba (23%), Pb
activation analysis, should be conducted. (22%), K (21%), and S (20%). The high deviations found
The second experimental setup is optimized for the detec- confirm that the investigated artefact is very heterogeneous,
tion of low atomic number elements, offering a more accurate having micro-scale elemental variability.
picture of their distribution. As can be seen in Fig. 4b, Si has FTIR spectra of analysed areas are presented in Fig. 5.
an important weight in the elemental distribution, more than K Measurements taken in ATR mode provide an average chem-
or Ca, as was inferred by the results obtained using the first ical composition on the outer layer of the object: penetration
setup. Some of the elements found in the sample, such as Al, depth around 0.20–0.60 μm (Ekgasit and Padermshoke 2001).
Si, K, and Ti, could indicate the presence of clay, as suggested As can be seen from the spectra, all analysed areas are char-
by Centeno et al. (2012). This could also be an indication of a acterized by a similar absorption pattern: small absorptions
terrigenous input due to the long time the object has spent above 3600 cm−1, sharp bands in the 3000–2800 cm−1 region,
buried in the ground. weak bands respectively within the fingerprint region with a
The relative intensity of the XRF-identified elements is maximum absorption peak, extremely broad, centred around
presented in Table 1, which lists the major (ma) and minor 1000 cm−1. From the four analysed areas, only two of them
(mi) elements, together with the trace (tr) and minor-trace show a better resolved spectrum, situation most likely related
elements (m.t.). Although direct comparison between the soil to experimental factors (a better optical contact). It should be
matrix and the stone cannot be made, the relative elemental emphasized that the analysis was carried out at the surface of
ratios between the minor and major components for each sam- the artefact, without sampling, at low pressure, in order not to
ple allow a clear distinction between them. induce any damage or internal stress within the stone bead.
Variations were found in the intensity level of the elements, Analysis of the second derivative profile allowed a better
e.g. Fe levels were higher on the reddish areas (areas P3, P4), discrimination of features occurring in the overlapping fre-
for both setups. In the case of ceramic and glass jewellery, quency regions (Fig. 6).
their colouration can be related to the manufacturing process Characteristic infrared vibrations of silicates (Smith 1998)
(Zhu et al. 2012), but in the case of stone artefacts, the colour are observed within the fingerprint region, the peaks centred
reveals the features of the source material and, possibly, the around 795, 777, 693, and 510 cm−1 indicating the presence of
depositional environment. This means that the red coloration quartz crystals. Silicates are also characterized by a very in-
associated with high Fe contribution could be due either to the tense and broad absorption band that usually appears between
intrinsic nature of the rock (presumed to be chalcedony), the 1200 and 1000 cm−1 due to the Si–O–Si asymmetric stretch.
soil features, or to post-depositional processes from nearby This band can be clearly distinguished only in the case of
metal objects. When dealing with such objects, the best ap- P1—peak centred at 1090 cm−1. For the other three analysed
proach for a thorough evaluation would be take a sample from areas, the absorption in the 1200–900 cm−1 region is extreme-
the artefact and grind it, in order to make it more homogenous ly broad causing overlap of the absorption peaks that fall
(Homsher et al. 2016). However, sampling is not always pos- within this region.
sible, and in such case, several analyses should be performed Phosphates and sulphates are also characterized by a broad and
in several locations on the sample and the results should be strongabsorptionwithin1100–1000cm−1 that furthercomplicates

Table 1 Elements identified by


means of XRF spectroscopy Setup 1 Setup 2

P1 Cu (ma), Fe (mi), K, Ca, Pb, Si, Ni, Sr, Ti (tr), Al, S, Cr, Cu (ma), Fe, Si, K (mi), Ca, Al, Ti (tr), Pb,
Mn, Zn, Rb, Zr, P, Nb, Sn (m.t.) Zn, Mn, Cr, S, P (m.t.)
P2 Cu (ma), Fe (mi), K, Ca, Si, Pb, Ni, Ti, Sr (tr), Al, S, Cr, Cu, Fe, Si, K (mi), Ca, Al, Ti (tr), Pb, Zn,
Mn, Zn, Rb, Zr, Nb, Sn, Sb (m.t.) Mn, Cr, S, P (m.t.)
P3 Cu (ma), Fe (mi), K, Si, Pb, Ni, Ca, Ti (tr), Al, S, Cr, Mn, Cu (ma), Fe, Si, K (mi), Ca, Ti, Al (tr), Pb,
Zn, Rb, Sr, Zr, P, Sn, Sb, Nb (m.t.) Zn, Mn, Cr, S, P (m.t.)
P4 Cu (ma), Fe (mi), K, Ca, Pb, Ni, Si, Ti, Sr (tr), Al, Cr, Mn, Fe (ma), Cu, Si, K (mi), Ca, Al, Ti (tr), Pb,
Zn, Rb, Zr, Nb, Sn, Sb (m.t.) Rb, Zn, Mn, Cr, S (m.t.)
Soil Fe, Cu (ma), Ti, Ni, Mn, K, Pb, Ca, Zr, Zn, Sr (tr), Rb, Cr, –
Si, Sn, Nb (m.t.)
1846 Archaeol Anthropol Sci (2018) 10:1841–1849

Fig. 5 FTIR spectra of the analysed stone bead areas

the discrimination analysis but since other diagnostic bands are Traces of iron oxides are seen in all analysed areas, the
missing (secondary bands such as bending vibrations found in the colour variations of the stone being linked with the amount
560–610 cm−1 region), we can exclude these contributions. and nature of the iron oxide chromophore (Helwig 1998).
Carbonate peaks (1466 cm−1 C–O stretch, 870 cm−1 C–O Characteristic IR vibrations of ferric oxide were found around
out-of-plane bend) were identified as well as other complex an- 720, 690, 580, and 520 cm−1, best seen in P3.
ionic groups—see the weak bands at 679 and 656 cm−1 that may Peaks around 690 and 790 cm−1 can be linked to the sym-
be ascribed to the presence of metal ions(Vasilache et al. 2011). metric stretch of Si–C (Levent et al. 2015), while vibration

Fig. 6 FTIR spectra (P4) togeth-


er with corresponding second de-
rivative profile
Archaeol Anthropol Sci (2018) 10:1841–1849 1847

Fig. 7 FTIR spectra of the


sedimentary matrix (a) and some
bronze artefact (b) found within
the same archaeological site;
analytical peaks of interest are
marked

peaks in the lower part of the spectrum, below 570 cm−1, may sedimentary matrix, as shown by the analysis carried out on
be ascribed to the non-volatile impurities present within the the soil sample coming from the same archaeological site
minerals (Levent et al. 2015). The broad peak at ca. 3400 cm−1 (Fig. 7 (a)).
can be assigned to free OH stretching (structural water). Besides the already discussed features, spectra registered
The compositional data obtained points towards a microcrys- on the stone bead show the presence of organic material: ab-
talline silicate material, possibly some variety of chalcedony sorption bands in the 3000–2800 cm−1 range (aliphatic C–H
(Levent et al. 2015). Despite the abundance of features identified stretch groups), bands within 1600–1540 cm−1 (possible aro-
in the spectra, an exact identification of the silicate mineral(s) matic ring C–C stretch, C–O stretch), 1450–1370 cm−1 (C–H
present within the material is difficult though, the highly charac- deformation), 1740 cm−1 (C=O stretch), respectively (Vahur
teristic peaks related to lattice vibrational modes of inorganic ions et al. 2011). The peaks observed at 2920 and 2850 cm−1 cor-
appearing below 300 cm−1 (Delgado Robles et al. 2015). respond to the symmetric and asymmetric vibration modes of
Another aspect that has to be considered in analysis is aliphatic C–H groups that may suggest the presence of humic
given by the complex surface chemistry of silica (Smith acids. This hypothesis is not consistent though as no evidence
1998). The native silica surface will react upon exposure to of such compounds were found within the control soil sample.
its environment (especially moisture) and form Si–OH Ancient organic remains on archaeological samples are not
(silanol) bonds. In this kind of rocks, the total hydroxyl con- uncommon, solid evidence of various organic materials used for
tent can be differentiated into molecular water and chemically different functions being reported in the literature (Regert et al.
bound silanols, these types of water accounting for up to 2001). The presence of the abovementioned bands could there-
2 wt% (Schmidt and Frohlich 2011). The bands seen within fore be ascribed to a resin (Vahur et al. 2011) or to a wax residue
the 3700–3200 cm−1 region could be linked with O–H (Regert etal. 2001). Similar findings werereported byBaronetal.
stretching bands of surface silanols, but since other diagnostic (2016), which found beeswax remains on Bronze Age moulds.
peaks are missing (silanol Si–O stretch 940 cm−1, Si–O–Si This hypothesis seems to be sustained; the same bands centred
bend respectively around 450 cm−1), we could ascribe the at 2850, 2920, and 2960 cm−1 being identified within the spectra
small absorptions above 3600 cm−1 to Al–O–H bands of clay registered on some of the bronze artefacts found within the archae-
minerals, most likely smectites (see the small bump at ological site (see Fig. 7 (b)). Although the exact role of these ma-
3620 cm−1, best observed in P3 and P4). Clay minerals from terials is not exactly understood, the use of such organic com-
the kaolinite family might also be present given the band pounds during crafting (Wright et al. 2008) or perhaps with a sym-
around 3690 cm−1. All these clay minerals come from the bolic or ritual role can be presumed.
1848 Archaeol Anthropol Sci (2018) 10:1841–1849

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