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Compositional study of Parthian silver coins using PIXE technique

2012; Elsevier BV; Volume: 289; Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.nimb.2012.07.039

1872-9584

Mahdi Hajivaliei, Farang Khademi Nadooshan,

X-ray Diffraction in Crystallography

The study of the elemental composition of silver coins minted in the Ecbatana mint houses during the Parthian period can help to elucidate key questions such as provenance of the silver metal and the socio-economic situation of that period. Commercial activity and population growth increased the demand for silver, forcing the Parthian to look for new sources of this metal. The aim of this work is to study the chemical composition of some Parthian coins to find any relation between the mines used for extraction of silver and the actual silver coins minted at that time. Using PIXE technique, the metallic elements Ti, Fe, Cu, Zn, Ag, Au, and Pb were observed. The results show that Parthian's kings used almost two types of mines for their coins.