FINGERPRINTING OF ROMAN MINTS USING LASER‐ABLATION MC–ICP–MS LEAD ISOTOPE ANALYSIS*

Abstract

In this paper we present data to demonstrate the applicability of laser‐ablation MC–ICP–MS isotope analysis to archaeological artefacts, in this case Roman silver coins. The technique requires no chemical preparation, does minimal damage to the sample and yields external reproducibility that is better than conventional TIMS analysis; 207 Pb/ 206 Pb =±0.015% 2σ in comparison with 207 Pb/ 206 Pb =±0.04% 2σ, respectively. We show that Pb isotope compositions give isotope fingerprints to mints despite the likely reworking of the metal during coin production.