Dear All.........and Claudia in particular,
I analysed some 20 armour scales from Masada (Data are in Archaeometry 1998, 40 part 1) together with a fair amount of other Roman military copper-alloy metalwork. These all date to the years immediately preceding 74 AD. The detailed study of the scales has not yet been published - there seems to be some massive hold-up with the publication of the Masada military material period! I do have a paper looking in some detail at the composition of Roman military metalwork from the sites of Masada and Gamla - but am currently looking for somewhere to publish it (too scientific for JRA, probably not 'cutting-edge' enough for Archaeometry). Essentially I looked at copper, brass and bronze scales from Masada. Most of the copper/low-sn bronze ones were tinned. Apart from one, all the scales were of the same type - stamped central midrib and border - and could be sub-divided into 'long' and 'short' varieties. The metal is very thin - probably too thin to make them anything other than 'parade armour' - although they were clearly used in combat at Masada - but arguably by the Sicaric defenders who had stolen them from somewhere. They are quite different from other Roman scale armour I have seen - both iron and copper-alloy. Compositionally, the brass scales are of a remarkably tight composition - about 20% zinc and not much else other than copper. The tinned copper scales are usually un-alloyed copper, except for one, which was stylistically different - much cruder (a repair?) - and was thicker, tinned and made of a low tin bronze (1.9% Sn).
If you want anymore information please contact me off-list.
Best Wishes,
Matthew
Dr. Matthew Ponting
Department of Archaeology
University of Nottingham
University Park
NOTTINGHAM NG7 2RD
Office: (0115) 951 4815
Fax: (0115) 951 4812
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/archaeology/research/
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