Non-invasive characterization of the manufacturing process of a Nuragic bronze statuette: a Neutron Imaging study

Abstract

The Nuragic civilization (Sardinia, Italy, XVIII–VIII Cen. B.C) developed a flourishing bronze metallurgy. The production of Nuragic bronze figurines from Sardinia represents a rich historical archive that provides key information about the iconography, the metal production and casting techniques, and on the development of metallurgy in the Mediterranean basin. Since the question about their manufacturing method remains without definitive answer, the understanding of the Sardinian bronze metallurgy is essential to determine which manufacturing techniques were employed to produce complex bronze artefacts. In the frame of a wider research project relating to Nuragic bronzes, four artefacts, three anthropomorphic statuettes (a warrior, a priestess, and an offering figure), and one miniature of a basket, were made available by Museo Nazionale Preistorico “L. Pigorini” (Roma, IT). In this work we present the results of the analyses conducted on a bronze figurine depicting an iconic type of Nuragic figure: the Priestess. The analysis was performed using White Beam Neutron Tomography (NT) and Bragg Edge Neutron Transmission (BENT) at the Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI) (Villigen, CH). Neutron techniques are nowadays the only available approach for revealing, non-destructively and with good spatial resolution, the morphological and microstructural properties within the whole volume of solid cast metallic artefacts such as this bronze statuette. This work presents the result of a non-invasive analytical investigation on an archaeological bronze artefact, providing outstanding results: from a quantitative analysis of the composition to an in-depth morphological and microstructural analysis capable of unveiling details on the ancient casting methods of the statuette.