Ion beam analysis techniques: a powerful set ge tools for identification and sourcing of ancient gems

Abstract

Gemstones are defined as rare minerals having a high clarity, a high hardness and showing a bright colour and a nice shining. The most important gems are diamond, sapphire and emerald. These gems are callad precious stones. Gems have fascinated man since the earliest times. They have always been sought out by man for their aesthetic and symbolic valué. Due to their scarceness and high '^alue, gems were appreciated by the mighty ones as a sign of their power (emperors ^nd kings, dignitaries of religions ...). Their high hardness and henee strong resismnce to deterioration symbolised the everlastingness of their reign. This last property is interesting from an archaeological point of view: gemstones travel through time without noticeable alteration, even buried in aggressive environment. On the other hand, gems oiay be used several times on different jewels, possibly cut and polished again. Like spices and other precious and sought-after items, gems were brought back from long distance. Accordingly, they are good tracers for ancient trading routes and influence of civilisations. Each civilisation had its own favourite gemstones: lapis lazuli in Egypt; amber and emerald in the Román Empire; gamet in early Middle Ages westem civil isations; jade, ruby and sapphire in Far-East cultures. Moreover, the provenance of some ancient gems such as emeralds or gamets is still debated. For all these reasons, the study of gems kept in museum collections is a promising research fíeld.