The chemical-analytical study of ancient metal: issues of correlation and data use

The paper assesses compatibility and potential of various analytical methodologies employed to identify the chemical (elemental) composition of ancient copper and its alloys. As illustrated by the funerary offerings from the Potapovsky cemetery of the Bronze Age which were analyzed by various methods such as optical emission spectrometry and wavelength-dispersive spectrometry at different times, the analysis found absence of fundamental differences in the material identified and obvious systemic operational failures of a specific equipment. Similar correlation of the paired data has been documented under other studies as well, which means that these data are suitable for addressing archaeometallurgical tasks.