Chemical Composition: XRF data from Artax 1 and Tracer
Alloy: Copper
Alloying Elements: copper
Other Elements: lead, iron, silver, antimony, bismuth
Comment: Shiny areas retain mercury gilding with high levels of gold and mercury.
K. Eremin, January 2014
Technical Observations: The majority of the surface has a light olive green patina, which is covered with a thick layer of translucent light brown wax. This combination of materials is particularly built up on the back. There seems to be no deep-seated corrosion or cuprite below the green layer, which would be an indication of long-term burial. Black organic-looking material seems to have been painted along some of the inscribed decorations. It is uncertain whether the slight variation in the green color in the X-shape on the tang is significant.
The object could have been cast or cut out of sheet metal. There are two types of gilded areas: a fine layer on top of a number of the concave lines that seems to stand proud of much of the surrounding surface and flat polished areas that appear to have been ground down to the base metal. However, XRF analysis of the latter indicates the presence of significant gold and mercury, which are usually evidence of mercury gilding. Perhaps the gilding protected the underlying metal from corrosion, and this may account for the oddly misaligned surface. The fine lines appear to have been created with a thin straight-edged punch, and in a few areas, one can still make out the tool marks. The rippled texture on the gilded lines was created by the same punch to enhance the lines.
Francesca G. Bewer (submitted 2012)
