Phd in EARTH SCIENCES

Research: Provenance study on coins minted at Elea/Velia: Pb-Sr isotopes and Archaeometallurgy

This PhD project concerns a provenance study and its aims is to realize chemical compositions and Pb - Sr isotopic databases of coins coming from the Greek colony of Elea/Velia and dated between the end of the 4th and the beginning of the 1st century BC. These coins are linked to a broader project of protection and exploitation, promoted by the University of Salerno and awarded as the best project of the year at the Art Bonus 2019 Competition. The construction of a Pb and Sr isotopic databases will be necessary to try to reconstruct the commercial routes and the socio-economic relationships of the city of Velia. The Sr isotopic system is able to trace the metal provenance for identifying the original deposit of the coins, and when combined with Pb ones, represent an effective tool to obtain a satisfactory result. The innovation of the project consists in the fact that: - Nowadays, this project results to be the 1st Sr isotopic study on Italian origin coins. - The simultaneous application of Pb and Sr isotopes, in addition to the use of chemical elemental analysis, represent the strength and the innovative aspect of this provenance project. - Moreover, I will have the possibility of working simultaneously in two isotope laboratories, that allow me to acquire and transfer skills. The expectations of the project include the creation of a more specific analytical protocol for the sampling of coins; obtain a deeper scientific knowledge through the development of more targeted geochemical methods; increase the knowledge on mineral deposits and metallurgical processes and elaborate the final thesis, composed of an organized collection of scientific articles published during the three years.