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Neutron activation analysis of archaeometallurgical ancient artifacts found in Uzbekistan

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Abstract

The current work presents the results of neutron activation analysis applied to determine the elemental composition of ancient metallurgical slags found by archaeologists in the medieval settlement “Eski Khovos” in Uzbekistan. In Uzbekistan, archaeological artifacts, including products of archaeometallurgy, are predominantly studied using traditional descriptive techniques. Two slag-like object samples and three fragments of clay furnace walls were irradiated by thermal neutrons at the research reactor of the Institute of Nuclear Physics of Uzbekistan. The comparative analysis method enabled the identification of up to 34 different chemical elements in these samples (As, Au, Ba, Br, Ca, Ce, Co, Cr, Cs, Eu, Fe, Ga, Hf, K, La, Lu, Mn, Mo, Na, Nd, Rb, Re, Sb, Sc, Sm, Sn, Sr, Ta, Tb, Th, U, W, Yb, Zn). The findings of this study suggest that the fragments are remnants of blacksmithing slags. The established methods of neutron activation analysis and processing of characteristic gamma spectra of activated samples hold significant interest for archaeologists of Uzbekistan, as they provide valuable new insights into the provenance, production techniques, and technological advancements of the archaeological artifacts, which in turn contribute to a better understanding of the region's historical and cultural development.

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Acknowledgements

The elemental analysis was conducted in collaboration with specialists from the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan (INP), which facilitated the use of a research nuclear reactor. In this regard, we express our gratitude to the Director of INP, Sadykov I.I., for his support of our research, and to the INP personnel Salimov M.I., Mirsagatova A.A., as well as the INP nuclear reactor team for their valuable contributions. The current work is dedicated to the blessed memory of Tolib Musaevich Muminov, an esteemed academician of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan. We would also like to express our sincere gratitude to the anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments and constructive suggestions that have significantly improved the quality of our manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Samarkand State University, 140104, Samarkand, Uzbekistan

    Akbar Alibekov, Anatoly Ivanov, Aliakbar Mukhamedov, Shakhboz Khasanov & Iosif Sharonov

  2. Samarkand Institute of Archaeology, 140151, Samarkand, Uzbekistan

    Akbar Alibekov & Komil Rakhimov

  3. Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China

    Shakhboz Khasanov

  4. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

    Shakhboz Khasanov

  5. Institute of Nuclear Physics, Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan, 100214, Tashkent, Uzbekistan

    Yakub Akhmedov

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  1. Akbar Alibekov
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Correspondence to Shakhboz Khasanov.

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Alibekov, A., Ivanov, A., Mukhamedov, A. et al. Neutron activation analysis of archaeometallurgical ancient artifacts found in Uzbekistan. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 332, 1883–1891 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-023-08909-1

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