Archaeometry at the PGAA facility of MLZ - Prompt gamma-ray neutron activation analysis and neutron tomography

Instrumental neutron techniques such as Prompt Gamma-ray Activation Analysis and Neutron Tomography and their combination, are effective methods to obtain chemical compositions with good detection limits and visualize internal structures within a sample. As non-destructive analysis methods, they are especially suitable for the investigation of cultural heritage objects and are therefore attractive for the field of archaeometry. This article reports on the investigation of two ring-like Celtic burial gifts from the Bavarian region using these methods. In contrast to our initial presumption, the two rings were not made in the same way. Our results clearly show completely different compositions and internal structures.