Ken,
Marie Farnsworth published an account of her examination of the Athenian
example (which was found, if memory serves, in a desturbed context) in the the
American Journal of Archaeology, several decades ago. The "other references"
to which you refer are probably concerned with the European context where
brasses were obtained by the cementation process without isolating the zinc
until rather recently. There is strong evidence for much earlier innovation in
the refining and isolation of zinc in India than in Europe. For this you will
find numerous publications by Paul Craddock.
John Twilley
Conservation Scientist
KEN SIMONELIC wrote:
> In the book: "A Short History of Chemistry" by J.R. Partington, Dover
> Publications, 1987, indicates on page 8:"Actual specimens of zinc were
> found on the Island of Rhodes (500 B.C.), in Athens (4 to 2 centuries B.C.
> and elsewhere in Europe."
>
> Other references have indicated that zinc was not availabe in its pure form
> until around the 1500th century.
>
> Is there any evidence that the ancient Egyptians, anytime before 1200 B.C.,
> had, used, or imported metallic zinc?
>
> Ken
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