DOI: 10.33547/ODA-SAH.12.Kaz.18
Analiza technologiczna i surowcowa situli z grobu 154 oraz elementów naszyjnika z grobu 161 ze stanowiska 12 w Kazimierzy Wielkiej (Technological analysis and raw material provenancing of the situla from grave 154 and the elements of the necklace from grave 161 from site 12 in Kazimierza Wielka)
by Ewelina Miśta-Jakubowska 
, Renata Czech-Błońska , Marcin Lewandowski, Sebastian Tyszczuk
In: Marcin M. Przybyła, Anita Szczepanek, Joanna Zagórska-Telega (eds) 2024. Kazimierza Wielka, stanowisko 12. Od neolitycznej osady do cmentarzyska z okresu wpływów rzymskich (Ocalone Dziedzictwo Archeologiczne 12), pp. 337–351. Pękowice – Kraków: Wydawnictwo Profil-Archeo.
The situla from grave 154 and a set of objects made of copper alloys from grave 161 were subjected to
archaeometric analysis to identify the materials and manufacturing methods. Preliminary non-destructive
analyses were also conducted on the surface of four significantly degraded glass beads from grave 161.
Complementary techniques, including hXRF, XRF, and SEM-EDS, were applied depending on the research
problem and the morphology of the examined object or its structural elements. Additionally, provenance
studies of the raw materials were performed using lead isotope ratio analysis (MC-ICP-MS) for the situla,
three bucket-shaped beads made of copper alloy, and one glass bead from grave 161. The studies revealed that the situla and its elements (attachments, handle, and dolphin-shaped legs) were made of leaded bronze with a melting point of 800–900°C. This facilitated the forming of the body and casting of the decorative elements. Dimensional analysis using 3D scanning of the attachments and dolphins indicates that the former were made using a reusable casting mold, while the latter were created using the lost-wax technique. To join the body, a strip enriched with tin and lead was used, which allowed the welding temperature to be lowered to 700°C. Soft tin-based solders were used to join the attachments. For attaching the dolphin legs to the bottom, a solder mixture of tin filings and a viscous substance, likely resin, was applied. The raw material used to produce the situla probably originates from the Cyclades Islands. The analysis of copper alloys from grave 161 revealed significant compositional diversity. The looped pendant and an object identified as a small chisel were made of bronze. Two bucket-shaped pendants were made of brass, and their loops were soldered using a mixture of tin and lead, with some containing mercury. The third pendant was made of an alloy of copper, zinc, tin, and silver, with its loop soldered using a tinlead mixture. The fourth pendant, where no traces of loop attachment remain, was made of bronze. All analysed bucket-shaped pendants and their components were made from ore sourced from southwestern Europe, with two specifically originating from the Massif Central. In the case of one pendant, an Alpine origin (northern Italy) of the raw material cannot be ruled out. The artefacts were probably made in local workshops using bronze scrap obtained from vessels or other objects imported from the Roman provinces. The beads from this grave are made of lead glass coloured with copper and iron oxides. The lead used in the production of the glass also originates from southeastern France. Therefore, the entire analysed assemblage of grave 161 appears uniform in terms of raw material origin.