Analytical investigation of five roman Pb-based scale weights (Qasr Ar-Rabbah, Jordan) : a case study

Part of : Mediterranean archaeology & archaeometry : international journal ; Vol.14, No.1, 2014, pages 181-190

Issue:
Pages:
181-190
Author:
Abstract:
The composition and corrosion behavior of five archaeological lead scale weights from Qasr Ar-Rabbah in Jordan is studied using scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray micro-analysis (SEM–EDX). X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis was used to identify the mineralogical composition of the corrosion layers. It is found that the weights were relatively pure lead objects with the presence of minor elements that were associated with lead in its ores. The corrosion layers were basically composed of the stable corrosion product cerussite PbCO3, which however obscured the surface details and contained micro-cracks.
Subject:
Subject (LC):
Keywords:
Roman, Lead, Corrosion, Lead scale weight, SEM–EDX, XRD
References (1):
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