Serena Sabatini, an associate professor of archaeology at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden and a specialist in European and Mediterranean studies on bronze and early Iron Age, has conducted three samples on the « bull-hide » copper ingot deposited at the museum by the Ambrosi family.

The goal is to determine the chemical composition of this ingot, using Laser Ablation mass-spectrometry and its geochemical fingerprint by means of lead isotope analyses. Analyses of bronze age metallurgy using lead isotopes and trace element analyses are a well-established method for assessing the origin of copper used to produce objects and particularly ancient ingots.

Further analyses are also planned on ingots preserved in other museums in France and abroad.

As a result, we will know by early 2024 where our ingot was produced and to which group it belongs, currently two hypotheses: Cyprus or Sardinia.

Stay tuned...