Fig. 1.
Photo of cross denars: the top image represents coin A and the bottom image represents coin B. In both cases, there is the obverse on the left side of the figure, and the reverse on the right side.
Fig. 2.
Microscopic photo (magnification: (a) 50×, (b) 100×, and (c) 50×) of coin A (cross-section).
Fig. 3.
ED-XRF spectra of the surfaces of the cross denars coins A and B.
Fig. 4.
SEM image obtained with SE of coin B.
Fig. 5.
Image of coin A obtained in SEM with back-scattered electrons.
Fig. 6.
Comparison of elemental composition of early medieval coins.
Fig. 7.
Elemental maps of Cu, Zn, and Ag obtained with the μ-PIXE technique on both samples of cross dinars. Red empty squares represent areas of detailed analysis.
Table 1.
Results obtained from different analytical techniques performed on coin A (surface and cross-section)
| Analytical technique | Ag (%) | Cu (%) | Zn (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| ED-XRF (surface) | 94.63 | 2.77 | 2.59 |
| μ-XRF Layer 1 | 64.69 | 29.91 | 5.41 |
| μ-XRF Layer 2 | 53.15 | 31.90 | 14.95 |
| μ-XRF Layer 3 | 73.81 | 20.37 | 5.82 |
| SEM-EDS (surface) | 94.25 | 3.20 | 2.55 |
| SEM-EDS (cross-section) Point 1 | 92.06 | 4.13 | 3.29 |
| SEM-EDS (cross-section) Point 2 | 91.69 | 3.98 | 4.33 |
| SEM-EDS (cross-section) Point 3 | 8.23 | 77.40 | 13.57 |
| SEM-EDS (cross-section) Point 4 | 11.10 | 88.90 | <LLD |
| SEM-EDS (cross-section) Point 5 | 8.42 | 75.14 | 16.43 |
| SEM-EDS (cross-section) Point 6 | 32.91 | 53.16 | 10.95 |
| SEM-EDS average | 40.74 | 50.45 | 8.10 |
| μ-PIXE (cross-section) Area 1 | 42.88 | 46.68 | 10.44 |
| μ-PIXE (cross-section) Area 2 | 52.41 | 46.02 | 2.57 |
| μ-PIXE (cross-section) Area 3 | 67.33 | 29.94 | 2.73 |