Microstructure and chemical composition of Iron Age archaeological objects from the Phoenician-Punic site of Motya (Sicily, Italy)
The aim of this work was to characterize chemical composition of the alloys and corrosion microstructures of Phoenician bronze weapons from the archaeological site of Motya (western Sicily, Italy). For this purpose, some bronze artifacts were selected and studied by the combined use of different analytical techniques, such as scanning electron microscope (SEM-EDS) and electron microprobe analysis (EMPA). Moreover, X-ray maps on cross section of the artifacts were also performed to obtain information about elemental distribution in the different layers.