infocus #50 June 2018 Scythian Gold Under the Microscope

Shedding light on ancient manufacturing and decorative techniques

DOI: 10.22443/rms.inf.1.160

The special exhibition Scythians: Warriors of Ancient Siberia recently held at the British Museum prompted the study of eight Scythian-style gold artefacts from the Oxus Treasure in the Department of Scientific Research.

Optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy were used to identify their manufacturing and decorative techniques as well as their gold composition. Such technical examinations combined with the archaeological and historical contexts of the artefacts made it possible to shed some light on the craftsmen who created them.

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Author

Aude Mongiatti

Research Scientist, British Museum

Aude Mongiatti is a research scientist in the Department of Scientific Research at the British Museum. She specialises in metals and works mostly on non-ferrous metal artefacts and ancient metallurgical technologies with a special interest in archaeological and museum material such as crucible remains associated with metal production. She uses mainly microscopy (optical, digital and SEM), X-ray fluorescence and radiography to identify composition of metals and alloys and the techniques used to produce the objects. She studied chemistry with a specialisation in materials science in France where she obtained her MSc degree from the French Grande Ecole “Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Chimie de Paris” in 2003. She then completed a PhD at UCL Institute of Archaeology in 2009, studying technological processes in the production of precious metals in early modern Austria (assaying and smelting)