Muonic X-ray emission spectroscopy also does not require the object to be cleaned before analysis, reducing the workload placed on cultural heritage institutions. Using this technique allows scientists to probe deeper into the elemental make-up of the historical artefacts than possible with other methods, while being entirely non-destructive. To measure the purity of the gold coins they used muonic X-ray emission spectroscopy, a totally non-destructive analytical process that involves firing negative muons at the artefact. The muons are then captured by the atoms within the coins, which then emit a ‘fingerprint’ of muonic X-rays that are unique to the chemical element they came from. Our work at nclusively shows the high purity on the surface was representative of the ‘core’ Now they can be confident the surface is representative of the bulk of these objects.’ At a basic level, it is further testament to the economic health of the Roman Empire, but these conclusions are also useful for researchers who need to employ non- or negligibly-destructive techniques on the surfaces of Roman gold coins. ‘Our work at ISIS enabled us to sample the very centre of these coins totally non-destructively and conclusively show that the high purity seen on the surface was representative of the composition of the ‘core’ of the coin. There was a very reasonable ‘what if’ of ‘what if they’re actually made of something different beneath the surface?’ We know that the Romans deliberately surfaced enriched their silver coins to ‘hide’ the fact there was a lot of copper in them, so it is plausible something similar happened to the gold. However, these measurements were from the first few fractions of millimetres of the coins. Lead author, Dr George Green, Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellow and Lavery-Shuffrey Early Career Fellow in Roman Art and Archaeology at the University of Oxford, says, ‘The results from the surface level analyses of these coins suggested that they were very high purity gold. The results from the surface level analyses of these coins suggested that they were very high purity gold.We know the Romans deliberately surfaced enriched their silver coins to ‘hide’ the fact there was a lot of copper in them, so it is plausible something similar happened to the gold The aim in this case was to see if the coins had been surface enriched – or secretly mixed with other metals. By doing this, the team could deduce a number of things, including the levels of economic stability. When high-value artefacts need to be analysed, researchers are generally required to employ non-destructive techniques. Each coin was from the reign of a different Roman emperor: one from Hadrian (2 nd century AD), one from Tiberius (early 1 st century AD) and one from Julian II (4 th century AD). Researchers from the University of Oxford and the University of Warwick brought three Roman coins for analysis by the Science and Technology Facilities Council’s ISIS Neutron and Muon Source. Cutting-edge scientific study of gold coins from different moments of the Roman Empire has revealed a thriving economy in the periods when the coins were minted.
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