Compositional and morphological study of a Nuragic bronze figurine with neutron diffraction and neutron tomography

TL;DR

This study uses neutron diffraction and tomography to analyze a Nuragic bronze figurine, revealing insights into ancient casting techniques and craftsmanship in early Iron Age Sardinia.

Contribution

It demonstrates the effectiveness of neutron methods in non-invasively studying complex ancient bronze artifacts and understanding their manufacturing processes.

Findings

Neutron techniques provided detailed morphological data.

Evidence of multi-part casting processes.

Insights into Nuragic bronze craftsmanship.

Abstract

Nuragic figurines are rare and unique examples of the mastery achieved by Sardinian craftsmen in the early Iron Age. These bronze artefacts were most likely cast using the lost wax technique: the shapes were moulded with relative ease, and even complex figures could be represented. However, the manufacturing process was not always a single-step procedure: in some cases, the parts of the model were moulded separately and then assembled together. Therefore, the analytical study of Nuragic bronzes can help to understand the specific casting methods and to evaluate the techniques implemented by Sardinian craftsmen to produce such complex objects. In recent years, Time of Flight Neutron Diffraction (Tof-ND) and Neutron Imaging (NI) have proven to be among the most effective methods for non-invasive studies. Neutron diffraction and neutron imaging provide complementary quantitative and morphological information that can be the key to understanding the casting processes. In this work, the results of the analysis of a bronze figurine will be reported. The statuette represents a Nuragic warrior and was made available by the Soprintendenza Archeologia Belle Arti e Paesaggio per le province di Sassari e Nuoro (Sassari,Italy).