Neutron diffraction study of Bronze Age tools from second millennium BC dwellings in Italy

Neutron diffraction was utilized to characterise XX to XIII century
BC bronze axes (Ancient to Late Bronze Age) from "Terramare" and other Bronze
Age settlements near Modena, Italy. Archaeometric metallurgy issues have been
addressed by means of phase and texture analysis from measurements carried out
at the ROTAX and GEM beam lines of the neutron spallation source ISIS of the
Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (UK). Neutron data provide accurate composition
and structural information from the bulk of the alloy, with good grain statistics,
without limitations due to surface alterations and with few limitations as to sample
size. Bronze composition results are in good agreement with data obtained by
micro-sampling and traditional analytical techniques thus confirming the validity of
the method used for a totally non-destructive determination of the alloy composition
from precise lattice parameter measurements. Phase analysis from diffraction
profiles provides identification and quantification of surface alteration and corrosion
products, free of interference with the analysis of the bulk alloy. Furthermore, texture
analysis techniques may yield information on the ancient production methods
of the artefacts.