Spectroanalytical approach for analysis of archaeological objects related to personal adornment from Teruel Museum

Abstract

The immense variety of materials found in museum's archaeological collections often makes the tasks of cataloging and conservation difficult. This is even more challenging when dealing with objects related to personal adornments, such as jewelry or amulets, due to their extensive material diversity and complexity. For these reasons, the chemical characterization of this type of objects is crucial for linking the use of certain raw materials in the production of artifacts with commercial and influential spheres. The present study aims at the non/micro-invasive material characterization of a set of heterogeneous personal adornment pieces from a wide chronological period (2nd BC – 18th AD centuries) belonging to the archaeology collection of the Teruel Museum, Spain. A multi-analytical approach, without sample taking, was applied involving Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS), which allowed surface and in-depth elemental analysis of materials including the detection of trace elements. The LIBS results were complemented by using portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (p-XRF) and µ-Raman spectroscopy, which offered additional information on elemental and molecular surface composition, respectively, for accurate mineralogical identification. The analysis of the considered objects revealed the presence of a wide variety of both organic and inorganic materials that were used in the manufacturing processes, including red coral, black amber, glass, and iron, among others. This allowed for a comprehensive characterization and provided extensive details about the provenance and relative dating of the objects, information that will be useful in the elaboration of an updated catalog list and new conservation protocols for the archaeological collection of the Teruel Museum.