Title
X-Ray Digital Radiography to Study Gold–Silver Nose Decorations from the Moche Tomb of the Lady of Cao
Date Issued
01 September 2018
Access level
metadata only access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
Publisher(s)
Springer New York LLC
Abstract
In the present study nose decorations from the tomb of the ‘Lady of Cao’, a mummified Moche woman dated around third–fourth century AD, were analyzed by a portable X-ray digital radiography (XDR) system. The Moche civilization flourished along the north coast of present-day Peru, between the Andes and the Pacific Ocean, approximately between 100 and 600 AD. The Moche were very sophisticated artisans and metal smiths, so that they are considered the finest producers of jewels and artifacts of the region. Their metalworking ability was impressively demonstrated by the excavations of the tomb of the ‘Lady of Cao’, discovered by Regulo Franco in 2005. More than 100 beautiful jewels were found in this tomb, among them about 40 nose decorations composed of a combination of gold and silver sheets. Radiographs of several of them were carried out, with the aim to evaluate the gold–silver joining process, to check the homogeneity of the alloy and to quantify the thickness of the sheets. The XDR system consisted of a mini X-ray tube and of a digital X-ray flat panel. The radiographic images of the nose decorations revealed details of the manufacturing process and of the Au–Ag junction.
Volume
37
Issue
3
Number
53
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Arqueología
Subjects
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85049687234
Source
Journal of Nondestructive Evaluation
ISSN of the container
01959298
Sponsor(s)
aThese values are affected by an uncertainty of 10–15% bAreas are not determined cValues determined from: mass = density × volume (mean Au/Ag thickness) Acknowledgements Many thanks to Luciano Mastrolorenzi, eminent goldsmith and sculptor, for experimentally simulating different gold-silver joining methods and for stimulating discussions. This work was partially supported by Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientí-fico e Tecnológico, CNPq, (Process Number 154293/2016-4, Brazil), and Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ).
Sources of information:
Directorio de Producción Científica
Scopus