Chemical Composition: XRF data from Artax 1
Alloy: Leaded Brass
Alloying Elements: copper, lead, zinc
Other Elements: iron
K. Eremin, January 2014
Technical Observations: The patina is a cupritic reddish-brown under green corrosion. A large portion of the body of the object is missing, including the terminal and a corner of the bifurcate section on the reverse. The edges are worn.
The body of the object was originally cast in one piece by the lost-wax process. The shallow step on the reverse corresponds to where the lower bifurcating section was joined to the upper part in the wax stage. The decorative pattern on the top was probably already present in the wax and enhanced in the metal, although it is difficult to be certain since the top surface is entirely covered with a very fine peened texture, probably as a result of a mechanical post-excavation cleaning. There is no evidence of inlays, although the possibility that it once had inlay cannot be completely excluded. Both rivets survive and have corroded differently than the body of the object, suggesting they are made of a different material. One of them appears to be faceted, but that may be an artifact of corrosion.
Francesca G. Bewer (submitted 2012)
