Archaeopolymetallurgical study of materials from an Iberian culture site in Spain by scanning electron microscopy with X-ray microanalysis, chemometrics and image analysis

Archaeometallurgical materials from “La Bastida de Moixent”, a site in Valencia (Spain), from the second Iberian iron age (4th Century B.C.) have been studied using metallographic techniques, microanalysis, chemometrics and image analysis. The materials come from various phases of iron production and cupellation of argentiferous lead to obtain silver. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is used to determine the morphological, microstructural and topographic characteristics of the samples. Image analysis was used to obtain a numeric estimate of the main components in these materials. X-ray microanalysis (SEM/EDX) provides qualitative and quantitative information about the elements in the sample. The semiquantitative results have been treated by chemometric tools such as Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to group the different archaeological materials. These analyses provide information on the lead and iron metallurgical processes, such as silver production by cupellation used in the period. Macroscopic and microscopic analyses indicate a high quality, acceptably uniform manufactured product, indicating broad technical skill in the later metallurgical process of transformation and refinement of these materials to obtain ingots and manufactured products to trade.