Tátrai Vilmos szerk.: A Szépművészeti Múzeum közleményei 95. (Budapest, 2001)

TÓTH, MÁRIA - BERTÓTI, IMRE - MOHAI, MIKLÓS - FÓRIZS, ISTVÁN -VOZIL, IRÉN: Material analysis of the bronze statuette of Imhotep

Considering the detected differences in material qualities, the following conclusions can be drawn regarding the categorisation of the bronze. In the literature tinbronze, lead-bronze and lead-tin-bronze alloys are distinguished. In these alloys the arsenic (As)-, the antimony (Sb)- and the zinc (Zn) content can be significant. As the studied statuette does not contain such elements above the limit of detection, these elements are not included in the parameters considered for categorisation. After comparing our results with the categories shown in Table 3, the materials of the statuette can be regarded as belonging to the category of tin-bronze with a high tin content and to the category of lead-tin-bronze with a low lead content, respectively. Table 3. Classification of bronze alloys on the basis of their Cu, Pb and Sn contents

5 Cu (%) Sn (%) Pb (%) Tin-bronze (low Sn content) 95-99 1-5 Tin-bronze (medium Sn content) 90-95 5-10 Tin-bronze (high Sn content) 90 > 10 Lead-bronze (medium Pb content) 90-99 1-10 Lead-bronze (high Pb content) 80-90 10-20 Lead-bronze (very high Pb content) 80 >20 Lead-tin-bronze (low Sn, Pb contents) 80-98 1-10 1-10 Lead-tin-bronze (low Pb content) 70-89 10-20 1-10 Lead-tin-bronze (high Pb content) 70-89 1-10 >20 How much significance should be attributed to the detected differences (in the chemical composition) for determining whether the various parts of the statuette originally belonged together or not, whether they come from the same workshop or not, and what the conclusion of these differences is with regards to age determination?

6 5 Riederer, J.. Archäologie und Chemie. Ausstellung des Rathgen-Forschungslahors SMPK. Berlin 1988, p.108. 6 The clarification of the geological origin of the raw materials used for alloys contributes highly to age determination. The quarry (place occurrence) and the mine can be identified by determining the stable lead isotope ratio. The present study does not deal with this subject, because such measurements cannot yet be performed in Hungary. [The age of the first mine in Egypt is known from the literature source: Vikentiev, W.,ASAE LIV (1957), 179-189; Lucas, A., Ancient Egyptian Materials and Industries, London 1962, p. 243.] Comparing the stable lead isotope ratio of the statuette to the available mining data could result in determining a more accurate age of the statuette.