Determination of Mn, Co, Cu, Zn, Ag, Bi, Cd, Se, Cr and Te in anatolian iron artifacts by instrumental neutron activation analysis and atomic absorption spectrophotometry

Abstract

Twenty-one samples of iron from Anatolia were investigated by means of NAA and by AAS. The aim of this study was to find out archeologically relevant groups by means of trace element concentrations, and to investigate which elements show differences from different eras and what are the variations within a particular era. The present report is a summary of a detailed evaluation of the accuracy attainable with a high-resolution, germanium, gamma-ray spectrometer and included are a few examples of results on archeological material. It was found true that the most information is obtained from trace element concentrations in artifacts. The questions have not yet been completely answered but the initial premise seems to have been borne out.