Affiliations: Dipartimento di Matematica e Fisica, Università di
Sassari, Sassari, Italy
Note: [] Corresponding author. Roberto Cesareo, Dip. di Matematica e
Fisica, Università di Sassari, via Vienna 2, 07100 Sassari, Italy. E-mail:
cesareo@uniss.it
Abstract: A portable EDXRF equipment was employed to analyze pre-Columbian
metals (gold, silver and copper objects) and to determine the thickness of gold
in the case of gildings. To this aim, the EDXRF equipment was optimized to
detect Cu, Au and Ag, and various methods were developed to determine from
X-ray spectra (K-lines ratio) the thickness of the gildings. These methods were
first tested to measure gilding compositions and thicknesses of pens and
decorative objects. Then pre-Columbian metals were analyzed, such as gold,
silver, copper, gilded copper and gilded silver objects from the Royal Tomb of
Sipán and from the Museum of Sicán, in the north of Peru.
Keywords: X-ray fluorescence, portable equipment, ratio of K-lines, gilded objects, silvered objects, Sipán alloys, Sicán alloys
