Non-Invasive Analyses of the Gold Pectoral with a Pair of Bird-Shaped Fibulae and Pendants from the Collection of the Archaeological Museum in Zagreb

Abstract

This paper discusses the results of the XRF measurements taken on the gold pectoral, acquired by the Archaeological Museum in Zagreb in 1933from Bosnia and Herzegovina. The analyses show that the pectoral is a pastiche of sorts, consisting of newer components specifically produced for the pectoral (fibulae, chain, and central pendant), and older ones (two-part pendants and associated beads), probably recycled from pre-existing necklaces. The production center, hypothetically located in the eastern Adriatic or the western Balkans, had access to different qualities of gold alloys, Asian and Portuguese garnets, and HIMT glass. Despite the similarities in the finds from the 1890 sarcophagus in Potoci, it remains inconclusive whether this pectoral is directly related to the discoveries from the 1882 sarcophagus in the same location.