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Summary of the Analysis of the Nova Scotia Sword Performed by Christa Brosseau

1/25/2016

47 Comments

 
The "sword" episode of The Curse of Oak Island aired in Canada last night, and Dr. Christa Brosseau is now free to discuss her analysis and results. In the period of time between now and when those of us in the U.S. got to see the episode, I've seen many incorrect (and, frankly, insulting) statements about Brosseau's work coming from those who have staked all their credibility on the sword being an ancient Roman artifact. We owe her a "thank you" for participating in this endeavor.

I am very happy that Brosseau has agreed to let me publish this statement here. I'm sure that many people who will read this are not experts in metals analysis. Brosseau is. Even if you don't understand every detail of this summary, take note of the manner in which she describes the rationale for the tests she undertook, her methods, the equipment that she used, and her results. That's what professionals do.

Brosseau tells me that she has been following this blog with interest, and will try to answer questions posed to her here. Have a question about the analysis after reading what she has to say?  Fire away.  I especially welcome serious questions from people who still "believe" in the sword. Insulting nonsense comments will be deleted. 

​Here is what Brosseau sent me:
Executive summary:
A metal sword was brought in for chemical testing during the summer of 2015. Objectives included determining if the sword was bronze or brass, and whether or not the chemical constituents could be ascertained, both qualitatively and quantitatively, in an effort to date the artifact.  Both elemental and molecular testing was conducted. The chosen tests included scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS), confocal Raman microscopy and surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). Multiple samples of both the patina, as well as the base metal were taken from the tip of the sword. A sample of the base metal was also taken from the hilt to test the alloy composition. Two samples of an “added layer”, present on the front of the hilt was also taken for analysis. After chemical testing and analysis, the results conclude that this object represents a modern leaded brass with an artificial patina with a likely earliest manufacture date of ~1880 AD. The added layer is a lead oxide putty, applied for an unknown reason.
 
Introduction:
The determination of the chemical composition of copper alloys can be important in the dating of art historical objects formed from such alloys. Brass (Cu/Zn alloy) and bronze (Cu/Sn alloy) constitute the vast majority of copper alloys of interest since antiquity. In this analysis, two questions were put forward: (1) Is this sword a bronze or a brass and (2) Can the elemental composition of the base metal and/or the chemical constitution of the patina offer any clues as to the age of the object. The answer to the first question is readily provided in a standard elemental analysis. A zinc content above trace levels, and the absence of a significant amount of tin would suggest a brass. For brasses, the zinc content is a powerful indicator of chronology.1 The first functional brasses were produced by the Romans, and were prepared using a process wherein a zinc ore was reacted with copper metal at high temperatures. This smelting process occurs at temperatures of at least 1100°C, which is above the boiling point of metallic zinc. Thus, most of the zinc is lost to evaporation, putting a thermodynamic limit on how much zinc can be incorporated into a brass using this method. This upper limit is widely agreed upon to be 28%, based on the analysis of a multitude of early brasses, as well as more recent experiments aimed at recreating this early method.1 Therefore a brass that is being put forward as ancient which contains a zinc content greater that 28% is suspicious. This is especially true if the alloy has greater than trace amounts of lead or tin, which inhibit absorption of zinc in the alloy. In post-Medieval Europe, a more sophisticated cementation method was developed, which allowed the incorporation of more zinc into the alloy, up to 33%.1 Hence, dating from about the sixteenth century, some brasses have been found containing up to 33% zinc. Zinc content above this level is reflective of a more modern brass, produced using a more modern direct method (speltering), the patent for which was taken out in 1738 in Britain.2  The older cementation method was largely abandoned by the mid-1800s.
          While the zinc content is the most important element used to date brasses, other factors will be important as well, including a determination of the relative purity of the alloy (which might suggest a modern refinement) and the presence of modern pigments and/or resins will also be key indicators of modern manufacture.
 
Methodology:
The following chemical analysis tools were utilized in this study:
 
1. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) – TESCAN MIRA 3 LMU Variable Pressure Schottky Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope
 
This electron microscope provides micro and nanoscale resolution of a sample. Features such as slag in the metal and grain boundaries in the patina can be elucidated.
 
2. Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS) – INCA X-max 80mm 2 EDS equipped with silicon drift detection (SDD)
 
The EDS unit is coupled to the SEM, and allows one to determine the elemental make- up of a particular region in the sample down to ppm levels. In this method, the sample is bombarded with a high energy electron beam, which excites core electrons in the sample. Upon decaying back to the ground state, energy is released in the form of x-ray radiation, which is monitored. The energy of these emitted x-rays is very specific to an individual element, and thus an elemental map of the sample can be obtained. This technique is akin to x-ray fluorescence (XRF), with a few notable differences. XRF can be used in a portable fashion, but this only allows for investigation of the surface of an object. In addition, portable XRF typically lacks the sensitivity and accuracy of EDS. When destructive analysis is possible, EDS is preferred. This will be used to determine the elemental composition of both the base metal and the patina.
 
3. Confocal Raman Spectroscopy – This instrument combines a confocal microscope with a Raman spectrometer, and provides a vibrational signature of the sample, such that the molecular species can be identified. This technique is based on light scattering. This will be used to evaluate chemical components of the patina that are Raman active, most notably any additives, resins or dyes/pigments.
 
4. Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) – This technique uses a thin layer of noble metal nanoparticles (Ag) over the surface of the sample, such that a much greater Raman signal can be obtained. This technique is particularly useful for samples which exhibit intense fluorescence, which can quench the Raman signal, or where the concentration of analyte is very low. This will be used to evaluate chemical components of the patina.
 
Sampling and preparation of samples for analysis:
For this analysis, several samples of the sword were collected for analysis. In each case the sample size was ~1-10 mg.
 
Tip of sword: base metal filings, patina flakes
Hilt of sword: base metal filings, patina flakes
Hilt of sword: added layer of unknown origin (this was applied to a few areas of the sword, for an unknown reason)
 
The patina flakes and the added layer were removed directly using tweezers. For the base metal, a small part of the sword was polished free of patina to expose the un-corroded metal, cleaned with solvent, and then several filings were taken using a steel file. Samples of the base metal of the hilt were taken at a later date in order to confirm the sword was one continuous metal.
 
For the SEM-EDS the samples were prepared by the SEM technician on carbon tape studs. For Raman spectroscopy, the samples were analyzed directly on glass coverslips. For SERS, the samples on microscope slides were treated with a layer of silver nanoparticles prepared in house according to an established protocol.3
  
Results and Discussion
 
Metallurgical analysis of the base metal:
 
SEM-EDS analysis was conducted on the base metal filings. It was noted that the zinc content in this alloy is very high, at 35% ± 1% at 95% confidence, and thus is representative of a modern brass. This places the earliest manufacture date for the piece at 1738. In addition, the lead content is very high (2.6% ±0.7). Closer examination of the metal showed bright regions, referred to as slag. In this region the heavy metals (Pb, As, Sb, etc.) are typically co-localized. EDS analysis of the slag however showed only lead, suggesting that the lead is of high purity, and thus likely refined. Also, the copper itself is quite pure, with only very trace amounts of contaminants (As (one sample only), Sn, etc.) detected. Thus the copper itself is also likely refined. Electrowinning of metals was first demonstrated in 1847, and the practice was first patented in 1865.4 Commercial plants for electrowinning of copper ore existed in 1870 in Wales and in the early 1880s in the USA.5 Thus, the likely actual earliest manufacture date for this brass is 1870-1880. This sword constitutes a modern leaded brass. The lead would have been added to facilitate casting and to improve the strength of the alloy, and also to reduce corrosion.
 
Metallurgical analysis of the added layer:
 
In several places on the sword, an added layer was noted. This layer had a metallic lustre and was putty-like in nature. Results confirm this as a lead oxide, likely a lead white putty. The reason for this added layer is unclear; it may have been added to simulate a lead overlay or to hide an area where a defect in casting was present.
 
Morphological and Elemental analysis of the patina:

The patina was examined using SEM-EDS. This allows one to monitor the morphology of the sample, and obtain the chemical composition for a desired area of interest. While the samples were not prepared in cross-section, it is still evident that the patina is uniform in structure and morphology, which points to an artificial rather than natural patination process. Also, the patina was very easily removed, which also suggests an artificial patination.  The patina in general, is fairly complex, however the chemical composition is dominated by copper, oxygen and chloride. This suggests the patina is mostly a copper hydroxychloride. The source of the chloride would be from either salt water corrosion, or from chemical patination using chemical reagents, for example chloride salts such as CuCl2 or NH4Cl. Since the extent of corrosion is limited, the latter explanation is the most likely. In addition, the patina contains iron and sulfur, which may also indicate chemical patination, through the use of CuSO4, Fe(NO3)3 or Na2S2O3, all commonly used reagents for brass patinas. In order to further evaluate the patina further at the molecular level, Raman spectroscopy and SERS was performed.

Molecular Analysis of the Patina:

The patina sample was evaluated using Raman spectroscopy, to ascertain the chemical make-up of the patina. Raman spectroscopy is particularly sensitive to substances which have the ability to scatter light well, through the presence of heavy atoms, or through the presence of electrons which are delocalized. Thus, it is an excellent method for the analysis of both inorganic and organic pigments. In this case, we were interested in determining whether any pigments might have been used to produce the patina. In several places, the recorded Raman signal was an exact match for Prussian Blue, a modern blue pigment. Prussian blue was first available for use in Europe in the early to mid-1700’s, and was in extensive use for the next several hundred years. The use of Prussian blue for the restoration of historical bronzes has been noted in several conservation publications, including the restoration of bronzes from the Fonderia Chiurazzi in Naples.5 The identification of Prussian blue in the patina strongly suggests that the patina is of modern origin, post-1734 AD, and was produced artificially.

To conduct further analysis, SERS was performed. In this method, a thin layer of silver nanoparticles is applied to the surface of the sample, such that the Raman signal can be increased significantly. The SERS data identified multiple pigments in the same sample. Prussian blue was again identified, along with lead white and what appears to be a good match for Cerulean blue. Cerulean blue was first available for use in Europe in 1821. In addition, strong peaks in the region of 1500 cm-1 suggest the presence of a synthetic organic pigment, likely a yellow azo dye, which would be of 19th or 20th century manufacture. Peaks at 2800-3000 cm-1 due to the C-H stretching vibrations of organic materials are also suggestive of this. The likely presence of Cerulean blue and an unknown synthetic organic pigment suggest the sword was manufactured post-1820 AD.
 
Conclusions:
The Oak Island sword represents an out-of-place artifact with no established provenance. In this case, scientific analysis of the object can aid in answering some fundamental questions regarding the piece, such as the nature and composition of the alloy.
​
In this case, it was determined that the alleged Roman sword is in fact a modern leaded brass with an artificial patina. Based on the materials analysis, this sword had to have been manufactured post-1738, and more likely post-1880, based on the materials and process of manufacture used.
 
References:
1. P. Craddock. “Scientific Analysis of Copies, Fakes and Forgeries”. Elsevier, Oxford, UK, 2009.
2. J. Day. “Copper, Zinc and Brass Production” in J. Day and R. F. Tylecote, The Industrial Revolution in Metals, Institute of Metals, London, 1991.
3. “Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy: A Direct Method to Identify Colorants in Various Artist Media” C.L. Brosseau, K. Rayner, F. Casadio, C.M Grzywacz, R.P Van Duyne. Analytical Chemistry, 2009, 81(17) p.7443.
4. “Copper Leaching, Solvent Extraction and Electrowinning Technology” Ed. J.V. Jergensen II, 1999.
5. “The Restoration of Ancient Bronzes: Naples and Beyond” Ed. E. Risser and D. Saunders. J. Paul Getty Museum, Getty Publications, 2013.
 
Additional Notes:
  • The composition of the base alloy is most closely in line with a free machining brass. (360 brass = ~61% Cu, 35% Zn, 0.45% Fe, 3% Pb). No Mg or Si was present in the base metal.
  • It is likely that this reproduction originated in Naples, or somewhere nearby, given the presence of Prussian Blue in the patina. Someone familiar with restoration of Italian bronzes may have been involved in its production.
  • The hilt was sampled after the blade. This was because if the object had been authentic, taking a sample for analysis from the much more detailed hilt would be undesirable. Once the sword was found to be of modern origin however, then sampling from the hilt was completed. As mentioned above, both the blade and the hilt were found to have an identical composition.
  • All tests conducted on this piece are state-of-the art analysis methods, not “out-dated” methods, as suggested by a certain individual.
  • During the filming of this segment, it was the end of July, and the lab AC was broken. I may have appeared red during filming for the simple reason that I was about to faint from the heat! Also, I may have appeared nervous because I am a scientist, not an actor. Being on television isn’t really my gig.
  • All persons in the lab must wear appropriate PPE in the lab (glasses, coats, etc.). That is standard practice in chemistry labs, and hence why I asked them to wear the gear during the shoot. The PPE was certainly not television props.
  • Anyone interested in knowing anything further can contact me directly and I will be very happy to discuss the work with them. I am currently considering preparing this work for peer-reviewed publication. Stay tuned!
47 Comments
Mumfort
1/25/2016 04:00:56 am

Bravo! Now that is the way to present facts! Thank you very much. Huttonites, take a note!

Reply
Greg Little
1/25/2016 04:11:07 am

Very thorough, very professional, totally definitive. And, that's that!

Reply
Jonathan Feinstein
1/25/2016 04:12:30 am

My profound thanks to Dr. Brosseau for this detailed explanation of all the testing and results. I had suspected there was a lot more to the analysis than the program had aired, but am amazed at just how deeply it was looked into.

The clue re Prussian Blue and its relation to the Naples area may prove particularly useful in tracking down the origin of this piece and possibly the others like it.

Thank you again!

Reply
Jonathan Feinstein
1/25/2016 04:44:39 am

And with that I took another virtual trip back to Naples, wondering if perhaps this sword (or whatever it was copied from) had come from the Chiurazzi Foundry, but decided that if it had, it was not one of their better pieces. I also found an illustrated catalong of the National Museum in Naples https://ia802701.us.archive.org/21/items/nationalmuseumof00conf/nationalmuseumof00conf.pdf

and while there is a figural handle of a mirror, vaguely similar to our Hercules on page 79, the pose is different (legs are not spread) and it's just a naked person, not Hercules or any other identifiable mythological figure, Going to keep looking though

Reply
TM
1/25/2016 04:59:39 am

Thank you Dr. Brosseau!

As an Oak Island fan, a science fan, a Nova Scotian, and a SMU Alumnus, this has made my whole week. I only wish all Mondays could start off with me proudly grinning from ear to ear!

Reply
Pablo
1/25/2016 05:27:17 am

Science!!! What a difference with the explanation of the copy-paster in chief! And the patina is fake!!! So where does that leave the story that it was found under water... the fisherman... passing it to his relatives..... hmmmm This is wonderful way to start my Monday, beautiful.

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voklst
1/25/2016 07:27:30 pm

Where are the words ' patina is fake' except in your comment? The sword 'has' a patina...period . Cerulian Blue, supposedly by way of Naples 1734AD. Its a real (supposedly replica) sword, fake Roman (era), outta place find. None the less from Italy. But not a fake patina, not a fake sword. Not a blacksmithed, pounded out blade. Certainly, not the ceramic being sold on Etsy for $27.00, that has a fake patina called a glaze. And Yes, thanks Dr. B for the mettalurgical report, most informative.

Reply
Pablo
1/25/2016 07:56:11 pm

I think you are right. What I meant to say is that the patina that the sword has is not a consequence of it being under water for 2000 years, it's an artificial patina.

Bob Jase
1/25/2016 05:38:35 am

Data - bah! Why its all electronical, not even on white paper!

Reply
Dave Stembel
1/25/2016 05:42:17 am

Boom! Dr. Brosseau drops the mic and walks off stage. Thank you Dr Brosseau very much for your professionalism. Scientist arpt work!

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Josh
1/25/2016 05:44:32 am

I think Dr. Brosseau should also be praised for making this analysis available in a pre-published form here on Andy's blog, since I believe some scientists might find such candor off-putting or "beneath them" (in the context of entertaining critical inquiry from lay people).

As a layman myself, it's encouraging to see someone from academia willing to interact like this, considering it wasn't an official press inquiry or anything like that. And let's be honest; a PhD and PostDoc doesn't REALLY need to "defend" her work against the fringe lay community, so I really doubt that was a motivating factor here. It seems more likely that she was genuinely interested in contributing to the issue, which again, should be applauded.

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Peter Geuzen
1/25/2016 06:25:57 am

The comparison to XRF is particularly helpful and insightful. That said, the Jetsons Phaser method will of course still seem perfectly legit to some.

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Killbuck
1/25/2016 06:51:02 am

Yes, reliance on a hand held XRF, as I have learned, is best as a field survey tool but you need the more powerful lab models to "dig deeper."

A terrific description and learning experience. Thanks Dr. Brosseau.

Oh and the new Smith's Cove Sword that recently showed up... what is that, 11 now? I'm fully expecting to see people on corners offering "Free Kittens and Roman Swords to a Good Home."

Reply
Andy White
1/25/2016 06:52:10 am

The Cvet sword will be Sword 12.

Legend has it that when 13 swords are found . . . you don't want to know.

Bob Jase
1/25/2016 10:01:17 am

Don't be too hard on xrf's. I've used them for over twenty years (PGT-3, Warrington, Scitech, RMD though never a Niton (bless Edith Mom's heart!)) and they are very good for what they are designed to do IF you use them properly.

Andy White
1/25/2016 06:49:32 am

I have a clarifying question for Dr. Brosseau regarding the capabilities of SEM vs. portable XRF. Am I correct in thinking that one of the things that SEM gives you that portable XRF does not is the ability to "home in" on tiny areas of the material that can be confidently identified as being part of the base metal (i.e., rather than patina or slag)? In other words, when you used the high magnification of the SEM to look at the filings that you removed for analysis, you were able to pick your spots to analyze knowing that you were looking just at the base metal - do I have that right?

Reply
CBrosseau
1/25/2016 07:04:27 am

Hi Andy. Yes, that is correct. The EDS is coupled to the SEM, and allows one to select an appropriate area of the sample for analysis. For example, I can select a large area in order to get the overall composition of the alloy, and can then zoom in at very high magnification, and collect data for just the slag (inclusions). This is what allows me to conclude that the added lead is highly pure. XRF gives you an average composition of the sample, and you are unable to select areas of interest to explore at the micron scale. The greatest advantage of XRF is that it is non-invasive, and therefore of great value for the analysis of large objects; particularly when research-quality XRF units are employed. The SEM-EDS can only accommodate whole objects which are less than about 1 inch in diameter, because of the requirement of the vacuum chamber needed for the electron beam.

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Peter Geuzen
1/25/2016 07:20:34 am

What are the chances of portable units giving false positives? What are the chances of user error, or in other words, not setting it up properly with whatever settings are available, and then actually physically using it properly, i.e. time of reading, height or contact on the object, etc.?

Andy White
1/25/2016 07:22:41 am

As far as I know, we haven't been given any details on exactly what was done with the XRF (instrumentation, methods, etc.) and what the results were. We've seen a lot of arm waving but there's been no substance behind it.

Peter Geuzen
1/25/2016 07:26:05 am

The claim is he did it in the presence of Craig Tester, one of the partners, and that he did 12 readings. Maybe Craig Tester is the only one who can confirm.

Andy White
1/25/2016 07:34:51 am

I don't doubt that he waved his magic wand over the sword, but until we are actually given the specifics it's really hard to evaluate what he did other than to say that SEM results are going to trump portable XRF results all day long.

Peter Geuzen
1/25/2016 07:44:25 am

Agreed. I assume that even the most experienced practitioner user of a portable unit would also agree. I would assume the experience level was however lacking in this case, thus greater chance for error. In theory he did the whole museums worth of artifacts. Oooops.

Jonathan Feinstein
1/25/2016 10:52:59 am

Pulitzer was so insistent in that webcast right after the US airing of the show that his scan found arsenic that I wonder if he had "planted the arsenic" by rubbing a section of the blade that was not directly tested by Dr. Brosseau.

It's only an assumption he ever scanned the sword, but if he did, that might explain his utter shock when it wasn't found and the way he went on about the sample having been taken from the tip. I'll bet he scanned (if he scanned) somewhere in the middle of the blade.

Peter Geuzen
1/25/2016 11:21:36 am

She did find arsenic, but only trace, less than 1%.

Jonathan Feinstein
1/25/2016 12:00:13 pm

Oops. Guess I missed that...

Pedro Loaisa Moreno link
1/8/2018 12:56:55 pm

Muy interesante.

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Mike Jones
1/25/2016 06:52:42 am

Thank you VERY MUCH, Dr. Brosseau . My sentiments are the same as those stated above by Josh. But, it is clearly not Prussian Blue but actually Maya Blue... [just kidding and flogging yet another dead horse]

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Clint Knapp
1/25/2016 07:04:47 am

Like everyone else, I thank Dr. Brosseau for her insight and analysis.

I realize it's the least in-depth part of the testing, but I wouldn't mind hearing a little more about the putty.

Specifically:
a) which parts of the sword were puttied
b) whether it appeared molded in any way or just to smooth out divots/cracks
c) if any of the spots you noted were filled with putty correspond to any of the known defects in other swords discussed here

Trivial, perhaps, but c especially could help Andy's ongoing effort to categorize and track the origin point of these things.

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Andy White
1/25/2016 07:08:34 am

There's some kind of putty-like substance under the "patina" of the California sword where the fullered part of the blade meets the unfullered part. I suspect it was applied to make that transition less noticeable. It is grayish in color.

Reply
CBrosseau
1/25/2016 07:18:46 am

Hi Clint.
Good question. The added layer was immediately obvious upon closer inspection of the hilt. In Myles segment, he suggested that this "grey" patina on top of the green patina was odd. It is odd. In terms of placement of the putty, the most noticeable placement was in the crotch area of the figure. Looking at other of these swords, for example the Florida sword, there is a hole in this area. So likely the putty was added to "fill in" the hole and to draw attention away from this possible casting defect. That is just my guess however. Interesting.

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Clint Knapp
1/25/2016 07:57:11 am

Florida and Sonja both have that dimple where the rest appear to have Hercules' penis, and in looking at the region on Florida a little more closely it almost appears as though someone has taken a chisel to the area. The metal is more exposed and scarred.

Almost like someone purposely tried to remove a filler material, purposely, and relatively recently. I thought it seemed odd to have more wear in a recessed part of the hilt than the rest of it, but scraping filler out of a common defect in that generation would explain it.

Doug Crowell
1/25/2016 07:16:35 am

Thank you very much Dr. Brosseau.

I was impressed by the due diligence in testing the hilt only after the initial tests indicated that the sword was not an ancient artifact.

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Michelle Stewart
1/25/2016 09:25:17 am

I've got a question (not necessarily for Dr. Brosseau, but she's welcome to chime in!)... Right now there are a couple people in JHP's Facebook group that are saying Roman brass artifacts have been discovered with zinc content as high as 85%, according to this paper:

http://iopscience.iop.org/1742-6596/41/1/028/pdf/jpconf6_41_028.pdf

It doesn't look like that's what the paper says to ME, but I'm not a scientist. Anyone else have an idea? Here's the comment thread, by the way:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/CurseofOakIslandOfficial/permalink/520337284800906/?comment_id=522053874629247

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Andy White
1/25/2016 09:46:48 am

Just looking at it quickly, it appears to me that they're misreading Table 2. If you look under "Drinking horns" in that table you'll see the 85.7 listed under zinc (Zn) in the first line. Follow that over to categories on the left and you'll see "Interval 0-2." What that's saying is that 85.7% of the drinking horns had a zinc content between 0 and 2%. You'll notice that the numbers in the columns add up to 100% - they're percentages of the sample distribution, not percentages of zinc. There is only one entry with zinc content over 26% ("belt parts")..

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Jonathan Feinstein
1/25/2016 11:04:53 am

Very unlikely. As Dr. Brosseau pointed out. The temperature of molten copper (even if lead is added tot eh alloy) is still higher than the boiling point of zinc. Much of the zinc from the ore added to the copper to produce early brass literally goes up in smoke..

I remember reading once that the few examples of metallic zinc produced in the Ancient World and Middle Ages was found by scraping the top inner walls of a bloomery furnace. Not much was found that way, of course, and in comparison, there are ancient pieces of jewelry made of smelted tin which would not boil at molten copper temperatures.

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Matt
1/25/2016 03:54:24 pm

I agree with Andy -- My reading of the tables and figures in that paper is that they are saying 85.7% of the drinking horns had a Zn content of 0-2%. It's a cross-tabulation of results.

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Cleo
1/25/2016 09:32:58 am

That's a well done investigation. It covers a lot of bases. It also lays waste to Hutton's notion that this was just a bunch of students misbehaving.

I've been wondering about the patina and what the "standard" might be for achieving these powdery green surfaces that are probably the most common one seen in the many fake antiquities out there. There must be a relatively well known chemical process that produces it because you see it in the crudest pieces coming out of Asia. Is the use of ammonium chloride a one step way to achieve this on brass? Are they water soluble at all?

The putty in the crotch is actually something that really doesn't surprise me at all. I'm more and more convinced that this model was not a Hercules figure to begin with and was reworked.

On the personal front, I've spent about 4-5 hours combing through a couple of dozen sites selling reproduced/faked "antiquities" in large quantities. This piece has no equal in its poor quality. It would not have any appeal to modern day fakers. Stylistically the fakes are much closer to what would expect even if they are also terrible. What I have noticed is that Hercules is often the subject of sculptures made available, that none bear any facial resemblance whatsoever to what we are dealing with and that fake ancient blades are almost always sold as blade + tang only.

I also spent time looking through pages of antique cast brass crucifixes. I found no exact facial match, but I did often feel that the facial features were close enough that I had to double check to see if I had a match to the sword figure. That never happened with any of the original, or fake, Hercules sculpture I looked at.

I feel I have exhausted my avenues for comparative analysis.

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R. Beck
1/25/2016 10:20:25 am

Thank you, thank you, and thank you. Why it is a certified professional and individual with their doctorate has to justify their work is beyond me. Dr. Brosseau and fellow students we thank you for all of your time to set it straight as this swordgate has ballooned into the nonsensical realms of WTF.

As an individual who uses handheld XRF's regularly I can say that they are an excellent field tool. I use these in the field to conduct analytical tests on various rocks (I'm a geologist) so to better understand if I should take the time to sample an area or not. However, it is not me directly that uses the unit as I do not have the proper certification or knowledge to do so. My certified field assistant does this work. In order to use an XRF (which by the way is a very expensive handheld tool) you have to go through training and be certified to use the unit - at least in Canada you do.

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Peter Geuzen
1/25/2016 10:46:38 am

I think your last point has come up before but maybe fell off the radar. Was JHP ever trained and was he certified to do this in Canada? Maybe this why the OI guys went with a real professional and a real test after dealing with him.

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Joe Scales
1/25/2016 01:34:13 pm

At what point do you ignore Pullitzer/Phiyaw? Quite frankly, if you are ignorant enough to fall for his chicanery, no proper science is going to tell you otherwise. At what point do you give up trying to convince those that might fall prey to him? He is an obvious fraud, and will be the author of his own undoing.

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Killbuck
1/25/2016 03:53:35 pm

Joe-- some thoughts from my 2 cent account.

The main audience for him is not us, nor is it frankly most people. When someone is said to be ignorant, it does not necessarily mean a stupid person (although they can be both at times). I could be a highly educated person, yet be ignorant of a certain subject. I may be well educated in finances, economics- yet be ignorant of the Greco-Roman era, or the basic principles of archeology. It may not be of significance in my experience- as critical thinking is, by experience elsewhere. Something that "sounds right" might make initial sense to me in that case.

Phycologists have long known, that when people are given a perspective on a subject, and there is no relevant alternative view, people are most likely to accept the perspective as general fact. It then becomes more difficult for them to accept what they now believe as being wrong. There are evolutionary advantages to this but is it quite different from being chased my a lion on the savanna, to the information tsunami world of the internet.

There will be those that want to be "special" and follow a leader who makes them feel special for "seeing the real truth." The leader makes sure these people are well fed, and made to feel assailed by the keepers of dogma. They become the few proud warriors who can see beyond narrow minded sheep. You are one of the chosen ones.

Yet, in the greater scheme of things, JHP is preaching to a small, but committed audience. The best audience are the people who can, if given a logical-science based argument, are willing to critically think.. That's most people.

There is a line still taught by some journalism professors that says "The person with the most alarming, fantastic or scary story will have an initial advantage over one who has all the facts on his side."

Scientists have mostly thought that ignoring the fringers is best as not to give credibility to their proclamations. This has also been influenced by the attacks that happen when they do voice critical-logic based opinions. Individuals like Graham Hancock and David Childress have pioneered the academic conspiracy line, while Mike Bara and Nick Redfern go several better, by hurling obscenities and homophobic slurs at even the slightest suggestion of opposition.

These things have lead more academic professionals to say, enough is quite enough, and it's time to professionally push back, and demonstrate that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.

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Joe Scales
1/25/2016 07:26:11 pm

You know what those seeking the limelight think of bad press. There is no such thing of course. No matter what is done rationally to counter the fringe, an irrational spin will be spun for their ignorant accolades to eat up. Thus when is enough simply enough?

I believe our host does good work; the noble fight, if you will. However, with the battle won, you can't expect this opponent to publicly recognize it. It is not in the fringe nature to follow reason. It is purely to profit from poisoning the well by whatever means necessary.

Andy White
1/25/2016 07:51:03 pm

It's a fair question. I think Swordgate was an important and worthwhile battle to fight, for all the reasons I've already talked about. I also think it has been won at this point. I'm genuinely interested in solving the "mystery" of the Hercules swords, so I'm planning on keeping on it and I think a few others will stick around for that also. But I agree - the point has more-or-less been made and evidence has won. If you still believe in the sword at this point there's probably not much I can say to change your mind.

I think Swordgate was a special case that warranted a lot of effort. I'm probably not going to have that level of interest in whatever else he pulls out of his hat. Berries, misinterpreted DNA, misinterpreted rock art, a coin here or there . . . . none of that stuff has the high stakes punch of a "100% confirmed Roman sword." That doesn't mean I give Pulitzer a pass to say whatever nonsense he wants to from here on out, but I obviously can't fight every battle with this much effort. And I don't work on his agenda.

This experience has reinforced my feeling that I pretty much had him pegged from the beginning. I don't know what he really believes, but I can tell you that he does not tell the truth about evidence or about those who disagree with him, and I think that Swordgate has made that apparent to anyone who has put the effort into paying attention. That's a good thing.

Killbuck
1/25/2016 08:58:52 pm

Yes Andy, all of us must choose our fights in this sort of thing. There are JHPs a dime a dozen.

Whack-a-Mole?

Mary Sheels
1/25/2016 09:47:31 pm

I'm beginning to understand the condition of the terminally-fringed a little better after spending some time among JHP's followers throughout the past few weeks, and you really are spot-on with most of that assessment. Although I wouldn't say I'm necessarily "undercover" (since I don't have some crazy agenda to undermine JHP or anything like that), I am using different names to post between locations since JHP will ban you from the group at the first whiff of logical or critical thought...

Without being overly confrontational though, I have been trying to get some of the people over there to actually THINK about the issues they're talking about, usually via a well-placed reply in which I'll give some butt-smooching praise (to satiate JHP) followed by a question or comment that raises some flaw in the methodology of the "research."

Sometimes the aim will be to point out an argumentative or reasoning fallacy, and other times it's regarding a straight-out false claim that can be backed-up with established facts. So far though, no one has seemed to take the "critical thinking" bait; or at least not in public, probably for fear of reprisal or banishment.

I still don't know if these guys will even allow their beliefs to be challenged. I doubt it's that severe for everyone in JHP's camp, judging by comments I've seen that are usually removed from stuff like his vid-casts.

One final thing worth noting; you guys ever notice how JHP only uses web platforms that allow him to control the replies and comments? He uses that Periscope app to record videos, which allows post-recording filtering of comments. He publishes his audio files on Soundcloud, which allows paying members to delete any comments they don't like. He uses his own Facebook group for discussion, which offers similar control...

As far as I can tell, he doesn't use any service or platform that doesn't give him the ability to curate and cherry-pick audience interaction. I think that speaks volumes about his real agenda; it's not about the research or history, it's all about him.

Killbuck
1/26/2016 07:50:55 am

Many of the leaders of various fringe causes also tightly control what their fans see. Few if any however, as much as our dear friend. Yet, his influence is small and kept so, in large part by shoddiness and also by the need to control and insulate his message from reasonable inquiry.

Matt
1/25/2016 04:03:24 pm

Interesting results, and although I'm no expert in metals, per se, I can say that the methodologies and conclusions are appropriate and sound.

For those interested, this is a very similar story (with the same punch-line) as that of Drake's Plate of Brass analyzed at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Oxford University nearly 40 years ago.

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