https://doi.org/10.1140/epjp/s13360-025-06095-5
Regular Article
Study of compositional and luminescence properties of calcite in lapis lazuli for provenance investigations of archaeological findings
1
Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Torino, Via Pietro Giuria 1, Turin, Italy
2
INFN Sezione di Torino, Via Pietro Giuria 1, Turin, Italy
3
Dipartimento di Elettronica e Telecomunicazioni, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, Turin, Italy
4
Dipartimento di Scienze Della Terra, University of Turin, Via Valperga Caluso 35, Turin, Italy
5
Dipartimento di Studi Storici, University of Turin, Via S. Ottavio 20, Turin, Italy
6
Dipartimento dei Beni Culturali: Archeologia, Storia dell’Arte, del Cinema e della Musica, Università degli Studi di Padova, Piazza Capitaniato 7, Padua, Italy
7
INFN Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro, Viale dell’Università 2, Legnaro, Italy
8
Centre de Recherche et de Restauration des Musées de France, C2RMF, 14 Quai François Mitterrand, Paris, France
9
UAR 3506 Lab-BC (CNRS, Ministère de La Culture, Chimie ParisTech), 14 Quai François Mitterrand, Paris, France
10
Ion Beam Centre, Advanced Technology Institute, University of Surrey, GU2 7XH, Guildford, Surrey, UK
Received:
22
November
2024
Accepted:
4
February
2025
Published online:
26
February
2025
In this study, calcite crystals within 42 lapis lazuli reference rocks coming from four distinct mining regions (in present-day Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Siberia and Myanmar) were characterised in terms of their compositional and luminescence properties in order to identify potential provenance markers. A non-destructive approach based on Ion Beam Analysis was employed, in particular using μ-Particle Induced X-rays Emission (μ-PIXE) and μ-Ion Beam Induced Luminescence (μ-IBIL). The results indicate that calcite crystals in Afghan rocks are characterised by the highest quantity of Mg and Mn; whereas, Siberian calcite exhibit the highest Sr content. The application of Principal Component Analysis also enhanced the possibility of discriminating between the Myanmar and Tajik rocks, as well as between the four provenances in general, by exploiting the compositional variability of Mg, Mn, Sr and Y elements. Regarding the luminescence properties, notable differences in the intensity ratio between the 360 nm and the 620 nm luminescence bands were detected among the provenances. In the second part of this study, the new results were employed to infer the origin of the raw material of certain archaeological findings discovered in two different historical sites: four lapis lazuli fragments from Shahr-i Sokhta (Iran, 3rd millennium BCE) and a lapis lazuli tessera from the city of Tanis (Egypt, 1050–700 BCE). The results of the analysis indicate that, among the four provenances considered in the reference rocks database, the best compatibility of the data from both case studies is found with the Afghan dataset. This suggests that the area of Afghanistan is the most probable source for the raw materials of the investigated findings.
Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1140/epjp/s13360-025-06095-5.
© The Author(s) 2025
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