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A Magyar Nemzeti Múzeum Üveg- és Kerámiagyűjtemény I. raktárában őrzött műtárgyak közül tíz, uránüvegből készült tárgyat vizsgáltunk: négy emlékpoharat és három pohárkészlet két-két darabját. UV lámpa segítségével választottuk ki a... more
A Magyar Nemzeti Múzeum Üveg- és Kerámiagyűjtemény I. raktárában őrzött műtárgyak közül tíz, uránüvegből készült tárgyat vizsgáltunk: négy emlékpoharat és három pohárkészlet két-két darabját. UV lámpa segítségével választottuk ki a tárgyakat, mert a bennük lévő uraniltartalom miatt így megvilágítva fluoreszkálnak. Az üvegtárgyak kémiai összetételét roncsolásmentesen, kétféle kézi röntgenfluoreszcens (XRF) spektrométerrel határoztuk meg, sugárzásukat hitelesített gammadózis teljesítmény-mérővel, valamint γ- és β-sugárzás detektálására alkalmas felületi szennyezettség-mérővel. A vastag falú, anyagában színezett, egyféle homogén üvegű emlékpoharak az anyagösszetétel és a stíluskritikai, készítéstechnikai jellemzők szerint a 19. századi cseh üvegművesség felé mutatnak. Jó minőségű kálium-kalcium üvegekből készültek, az erősebb zöld szín eléréséhez az urán mellett rezet is adagoltak három pohár üvegéhez. A vékony falú, kétféle, színes és színtelen üvegű likőrös- és borospoharak az Osztrá...
Non-destructive characterization of decorated porcelain artifacts requires the joint use of surface-analytical methods for the decorative surface pattern and methods of high penetration depth for bulk-representative chemical composition.... more
Non-destructive characterization of decorated porcelain artifacts requires the joint use of surface-analytical methods for the decorative surface pattern and methods of high penetration depth for bulk-representative chemical composition. In this research, we used position-sensitive X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometry (XRF) and Prompt-gamma activation analysis (PGAA) for these purposes, assisted by 3D structured-light optical scanning and dual-energy X-ray radiography. The proper combination of the near-surface and bulk element composition data can shed light on raw material use and manufacturing technology of ceramics.
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The study discusses a previously published find, a ‘Late Bronze Age violin-bow fibula’ from the prehistoric collection of the Hungarian National Museum, Department of Archaeology. The object was bought by the institute in 1948 from a... more
The study discusses a previously published find, a ‘Late Bronze Age violin-bow fibula’ from the prehistoric collection of the Hungarian National Museum, Department of Archaeology. The object was bought by the institute in 1948 from a certain Elemér Szabó, who stated that it was found by his son on the bank of the Danube River in Esztergom. In 2021, we re-studied the find by metalwork production and use-wear analysis and X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF). The results of both analyses revealed that this specimen has a highly unusual character regarding its traces of manufacturing and elemental composition. In our opinion, based on these atypical characteristics, this ‘artefact’ can be determined as a modern forgery and therefore must not be included in further studies on the so called Unterradl type violin-bow fibulae.
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The database was part of 'The Technology, Use and Manipulation of Weapons from the Late Bronze Age Transdanubia' (No. 134910) c. project. Project No. 134910 has been implemented with the support provided from National Research,... more
The database was part of 'The Technology, Use and Manipulation of Weapons from the Late Bronze Age Transdanubia' (No. 134910) c. project. Project No. 134910 has been implemented with the support provided from National Research, Development, and Innovation Fund of Hungary, financed under the PD_2020 funding scheme. The results are discussed in the J. G. Tarbay, B. Maróti, Z. Kis, Gy. Káli, B. Soós, The warrior returns home. Non-destructive analysis of the Late Bronze Age "warrior equipment" from the collection of the Ministry of Defense, Military History Institute and Museum, Hungary.
This supplementary material is part of the 'Non-destructive Analysis of a Late Bronze Age Hoard from the Velem-Szent Vid Hillfort' article submitted to Journal of Archaeological Sciences in 2020. Supplementary Material 2: on-site... more
This supplementary material is part of the 'Non-destructive Analysis of a Late Bronze Age Hoard from the Velem-Szent Vid Hillfort' article submitted to Journal of Archaeological Sciences in 2020. Supplementary Material 2: on-site handheld XRF analysis of the Velem-Szent Vid hoard. Author: Boglárka Maróti, Reviewer: László Szentmiklósi, Co-authors: Zoltán Kis, György Káli, János Gábor Tarbay The work were part of Project 124068 and Project 134910 which has been implemented with the support provided from the National Research, Development, and Innovation Fund of Hungary, financed under the K_17 (Project no. 124068) and PD_20 (Project no. 134910) funding schemes.
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Chemical composition of bronze findings from the Füzesabony-Öregdomb hoard and gold stray finds from Füzesabony were determined using non-destructive methods. The main components of the bronze objects are copper and tin, with small amount... more
Chemical composition of bronze findings from the Füzesabony-Öregdomb hoard and gold stray finds from Füzesabony were determined using non-destructive methods. The main components of the bronze objects are copper and tin, with small amount of nickel and lead. The latter objects are made predominantly of gold with 16–23 weight percent silver.
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Ariuşd (Erősd) is the eponym site of the Copper Age Ariuşd group. The systematic investigation of the site has begun over a hundred years ago. Recent archaeological studies could clarify the layer sequence and the artefacts of the site,... more
Ariuşd (Erősd) is the eponym site of the Copper Age Ariuşd group. The systematic investigation of the site has begun over a hundred years ago. Recent archaeological studies could clarify the layer sequence and the artefacts of the site, especially the pottery finds. Our current paper is aiming at presenting the chipped lithic industry, the largest of its kind within the Ariuşd group. Though this study is a work in progress with several open questions, we hope to contribute to a more profound knowledge on the material culture of the Ariuşd group.
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In this study, we present the elemental composition results determined with handheld XRF method on the gold armlets with crescent-shaped terminals from the Prehistoric Collection of the Hungarian National Museum. In addition to the new... more
In this study, we present the elemental composition results determined with handheld XRF method on the gold armlets with crescent-shaped terminals from the Prehistoric Collection of the Hungarian National Museum. In addition to the new Tápióbicske find, the Dunavecse, Biia, the Géza Kárász Collection find from Transylvania and the Körös area specimens were also included in the analysis. Based on the handheld XRF results, it can be concluded that most of the studied armlets have high Ag (21–24 wt%) and low Cu (0.06–0.17 wt%) content. These objects form a relatively uniform group (Hartmann A3) based on their elemental composition, regardless of their type and presumed date. Lower Ag content was only detected in the Körös area find (ca. 5.8 wt%) (Hartmann B) and in the rivets of the Biia armlet (ca. 12.3 wt%) (Hartmann L/Q2). Our results suggest that the studied armlets had a lower Ag content compared to the previous measurements on the Bilje, Pipea and Boarta armlets, made by differen...
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A comprehensive, bottoms-up characterization of two of the most widely used biomedical Ti-containing alloys, NiTi and β-Ti, was carried out applying a novel combination of neutron diffraction, neutron prompt-gamma activation, surface... more
A comprehensive, bottoms-up characterization of two of the most widely used biomedical Ti-containing alloys, NiTi and β-Ti, was carried out applying a novel combination of neutron diffraction, neutron prompt-gamma activation, surface morphology, thermal analysis and mechanical tests, to relate composition, microstructure and physical-chemical-mechanical properties to unknown processing history. The commercial specimens studied are rectangular (0.43 × 0.64 mm~0.017 × 0.025 inch) wires, in both pre-formed U-shape and straight extended form. Practical performance was quantitatively linked to the influence of alloying elements, microstructure and thermo-mechanical processing. Results demonstrated that the microstructure and phase composition of β-Ti strongly depended on the composition, phase-stabilizing elements in particular, in that the 10.2 wt.% Mo content in Azdent resulted in 41.2% α phase, while Ormco with 11.6 wt.% Mo contained only β phase. Although the existence of α phase is ...
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Turquoise covered mosaic objects - especially masks - were attractive components of treasures transported to Europe from Mexico after the fall of the Aztec Empire in the 1500s. According to our present knowledge, the mosaic masks were... more
Turquoise covered mosaic objects - especially masks - were attractive components of treasures transported to Europe from Mexico after the fall of the Aztec Empire in the 1500s. According to our present knowledge, the mosaic masks were manufactured for ritual purpose. The main material of mosaics, the turquoise was a high-prestige semi-precious stone among Mexican native people. During the 20th century, such objects derived both from illegal treasure hunting and documented archaeological excavations. The aim of our research was the authentication of a turquoise covered Aztec wooden mask, which presumably originates from the Tehuacán Valley, Mexico and exchanged by the Museum of Ethnography, Budapest, in 1973. The detailed and complex analytical investigation of the mask is a curiosity. To reveal the origin of the object, UV photographs were taken, the wooden base was subjected to biological studies and C-14 dating, the organic glue fixing the tesserae and the inorganic mosaic tesserae were investigated by non-destructive chemical, FT-IR and Raman spectroscopic methods. Our investigations determined that the mask of the Museum of Ethnography was made of an alder species of tree and its age is AD 1492-1653. The light-coloured covering mosaic lamellae were identified as alabaster and claystone. Comparing the turquoise tesserae cover with reference materials, their chemical composition has been clearly differentiated from most of the well-known turquoise sources of the US Southwest. Based on our results, the Aztec mask of the Museum of Ethnography proved to be an original piece of art from the 15th-17th century.
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This study presents the results of the petrographic and geochemical analyses of the entire pottery assemblage discovered at the sixth-century (AD) cemetery of Szólád, Western Hungary, associated with the Langobard era in the territory of... more
This study presents the results of the petrographic and geochemical analyses of the entire pottery assemblage discovered at the sixth-century (AD) cemetery of Szólád, Western Hungary, associated with the Langobard era in the territory of the former Roman province of Pannonia. Szólád is one of the most prominent archaeological sites of this period, where prior studies have shown that the cemetery was used for ca. one or two generations by a migrating group of diverse genetic background. The present work is the first integrated typological and archaeological science pottery analysis from the early migration period (fifth to sixth century) Hungary. We applied polarising light optical microscopy (OM), prompt gamma activation analysis (PGAA), and neutron activation analysis (NAA) on all samples and, additionally, scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy dispersive spectrometry (SEM–EDS) on one selected sample. One main fabric group with three subgroups were defined by OM, to whi...
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Die sich gegenseitig erganzende Anwendung der verschiedenen zerstorungsfreien und nicht-invasiven Untersuchungsmethoden lieferte wichtige neue informationen uber das Material, die Herstellung und die Verwendung der untersuchten Ollampe.... more
Die sich gegenseitig erganzende Anwendung der verschiedenen zerstorungsfreien und nicht-invasiven Untersuchungsmethoden lieferte wichtige neue informationen uber das Material, die Herstellung und die Verwendung der untersuchten Ollampe. Die Beobachtung mit dem Stereomikroskop ermoglichte die Rekonstruktion der Herstellung und der Verwendung der Lampe. Die PIXE (proton induced X-ray emission)-Messungen dienten der quantitativen Analyse von Haupt-, Neben- und Spurenelementen, indem sie Daten der oberflachennahen Zusammensetzung lieferten. Die Neutronenuntersuchungen erlaubten es, die durchschnittliche Elementzusammensetzung des Vollmaterials zu bestimmen, und sie ermoglichte uns auch eine qualitative und quantitative Einschatzung der Zusammensetzung der Phasen und der strukturellen Eigenschaften der Bestandteile. Die Identifikation der technologischen Details und der Materialzusammensetzung klarten die Datierung und die Herkunft der Lampe. Das Rohmaterial metallisches Zink und die zwe...
Research Interests: Archaeology and Physics
The aim of the paper is to present and discuss traces of a long-distance contacts of the Early Neolithic Linear Band Pottery Culture registered at two sites, of which one is located in the Polish Lowland and second in the uplands of the... more
The aim of the paper is to present and discuss traces of a long-distance contacts of the Early Neolithic Linear Band Pottery Culture registered at two sites, of which one is located in the Polish Lowland and second in the uplands of the southern Poland. They are manifested by the presence of obsidian finds and application the wood-tar substances, both of which being considered as a Transcarpathian phenomenon. The paper focuses on determination of characteristic chemical elements of obsidian artefacts from the two Polish Early Neolithic localities using non-invasive Prompt Gamma Activation Analysis (PGAA) as well as on a physicochemical analyses of composite organic-mineral substances found on pottery. The results of the analyses allow a discussion on the relationships between the Early Danubian societies inhabiting territories located on both sides of the Carpathians. K e y w o r d s:
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This supplementary material is part of the 'Non-destructive Analysis of a Late Bronze Age Hoard from the Velem-Szent Vid Hillfort' article submitted to Journal of Archaeological Sciences in 2020. Supplementary Material 3: LBA... more
This supplementary material is part of the 'Non-destructive Analysis of a Late Bronze Age Hoard from the Velem-Szent Vid Hillfort' article submitted to Journal of Archaeological Sciences in 2020. Supplementary Material 3: LBA spearhead elemental composition (Carpathian Basin). Author: János Gábor Tarbay, Co-authors: Boglárka Maróti, Zoltán Kis, György Káli, László Szentmiklósi
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This study presents the results of the petrographic and geochemical analyses of the entire pottery assemblage discovered at the sixth-century (AD) cemetery of Szólád, Western Hungary, associated with the Langobard era in the territory of... more
This study presents the results of the petrographic and geochemical analyses of the entire pottery assemblage discovered at the sixth-century (AD) cemetery of Szólád, Western Hungary, associated with the Langobard era in the territory of the former Roman province of Pannonia. Szólád is one of the most prominent archaeological sites of this period, where prior studies have shown that the cemetery was used for ca. one or two generations by a migrating group of diverse genetic background. The present work is the first integrated typological and archaeological science pottery analysis from the early migration period (fifth to sixth century) Hungary. We applied polarising light optical microscopy (OM), prompt gamma activation analysis (PGAA), and neutron activation analysis (NAA) on all samples and, additionally, scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy dispersive spectrometry (SEM-EDS) on one selected sample. One main fabric group with three subgroups were defined by OM, to whi...
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For a long while, the scope of scientific testing of bronze artefacts was limited, with studies focused primarily on the composition, the ratio of alloying agents and impurities, and the presence of trace elements in archaeological... more
For a long while, the scope of scientific testing of bronze artefacts was limited, with studies focused primarily on the composition, the ratio of alloying agents and impurities, and the presence of trace elements in archaeological objects. From the 1960s, as the technique of spectral (Optical Emission Spectroscopy) analysis became widely available, tens of thousands of objects were sampled (Schubert & Schubert 1963, 1967), but metallographic analyses and the investigations concerning the microstructure were only carried out in a few cases (Szegedy 1954; 1957; Mozsolics & Hegedűs 1963). Despite this, by the direct application of measurements, serious historical and archaeological conclusions were drawn, in relation to raw material sources and metallurgical centres for Bronze Age Europe. As the metallographic thin-sections prepared from prehistoric bronze objects demonstrate, the majority of archaeological bronze artifacts are heterogenous in structure, or even inhomogenous. For this...
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The study discusses an unpublished bronze hoard from the famous West Hungarian archaeological site: Velem-Szent Vid (Transdanubia, Vas County). This small Ha B1 assemblage contains a spearhead with remains of the wooden shaft, a sickle,... more
The study discusses an unpublished bronze hoard from the famous West Hungarian archaeological site: Velem-Szent Vid (Transdanubia, Vas County). This small Ha B1 assemblage contains a spearhead with remains of the wooden shaft, a sickle, and three different types of ingots. Our aim was a comprehensive structural and compositional characterization of the preserved objects from the hoard exclusively by means of non-invasive and non-destructive analytical, structural, and imaging techniques (XRF, PGAA, TOF-ND, Neutron Imaging, X-ray Imaging). The spearhead and the ingots were studied from production to deposition. Our results suggest that the spearhead was a good quality cast with relatively high Sn content and extremely low porosity rate. It received a minimal post-casting treatment, and hafted similarly to West European Late Bronze Age spearheads. Based on use-wear traces caused by blade-on-blade contact and edge-vs-flat collision, this weapon may have been used in parrying situation....
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Abstract The Budapest Neutron Centre (BNC) is a consortium of institutes to co-ordinate research activities carried out at the Budapest Research Reactor. It hosts two neutron imaging facilities (RAD and NORMA) operated by the Centre for... more
Abstract The Budapest Neutron Centre (BNC) is a consortium of institutes to co-ordinate research activities carried out at the Budapest Research Reactor. It hosts two neutron imaging facilities (RAD and NORMA) operated by the Centre for Energy Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences and offers access to this scientific infrastructure for the domestic and international users. The radiography station (RAD) at the thermal neutron beamline of the reactor gives a possibility to study relatively large objects by thermal neutron-, gamma- and X-ray radiography, and to benefit from the complementary features of the different radiations. RAD is being extended in 2014 with digital imaging and tomographic capabilities. The image detection is based on suitable converter screens. The static radiography and tomography images are acquired by a new, large area sCMOS camera, whereas the dynamic radiography is accomplished by a low-light-level TV camera and a frame grabber card. The NORMA facility is designed to perform neutron radiography and tomography on small samples using guided cold neutrons. Here two non-destructive techniques are coupled to determine the chemical composition and to visualize the internal structure of heterogeneous objects. The position-sensitive element analysis with prompt-gamma activation analysis (PGAA) and the imaging with neutron radiography/tomography (NR/NT) are integrated into a unique facility called NIPS-NORMA. The goal of such a combination of these methods is to save substantial beam time in the so-called NR/NT-driven PGAI (Prompt Gamma Activation Imaging) mode, in which the interesting regions are first visualized and located, and subsequently the time-consuming prompt-gamma measurements are made only where it is really needed. The paper will give an overview about the technical details of the facilities, and the latest results of selected applications from the fields of archaeometry, engineering and material science.
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Prompt-gamma activation analysis (PGAA) has been extended and validated to measure large and irregularly shaped samples. The detailed sample geometry was implemented in the MCNP-model of the setup and accurate matrix-effect corrections... more
Prompt-gamma activation analysis (PGAA) has been extended and validated to measure large and irregularly shaped samples. The detailed sample geometry was implemented in the MCNP-model of the setup and accurate matrix-effect corrections were obtained.
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Eight ornaments and a dagger were analyzed using completely non-destructive techniques to determine their alloy compositions and to draw conclusions about the production technology. Prompt-gamma activation analysis and time-of-flight... more
Eight ornaments and a dagger were analyzed using completely non-destructive techniques to determine their alloy compositions and to draw conclusions about the production technology. Prompt-gamma activation analysis and time-of-flight neutron diffraction proved that the studied objects are tin-bronzes. Difference was observed in the amounts of ore-related minor components (arsenic, silver, nickel) of the objects belonging to the two distinct archaeological sites. Based on the diffraction analysis of the microstructure, the objects are casts that were exposed to different degrees of manufacturing to reach their final forms.
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We present a workflow to non-destructively determine the elemental compositions of internal volumes of interest enclosed within complex-shaped objects, by combining 3D X-ray or neutron imaging, prompt-gamma activation analysis, and...
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Novel time-resolved-PGAA at a pulsed-neutron source was successfully applied for the first time on functional biomaterials for multi-elemental analysis.