Chemical characterisation of the free galloping horse bronze Punic coins

The chemical composition and the metal provenance of fifty five bronze Punic coins of the series known as the "free galloping horse", dating back to 350-320 BC and struck in the Punic settlements of Sicily and Carthage, have been studied. The results indicate that the coins have been produced using a copper based alloy characterised by a highly variable tin content ranging from 1.07 wt% to 12.8 wt% and by a very variable amount of impurities, some of them partly coming probably coming from remelting processes. The results indicate also that deliberate adding was used to increase the metal to fill the mould, as the addition of lead instead of the moss expansive and rare tin. This large variation of the content of the alloying, minor and trace elements manifests relevant differences in the alloying and refining practices and that a specific trend in metal composition and alloying is not shown. Furthermore, via lead isotope analysis is possible to attempt the location of the geographical sources of the metals and the results indicate that one third of the coins exhibits a characteristic Cypriot signature.