Provenance study on coins minted at Velia (Italy): Pb isotope and Archaeometallurgy

Lead concentration and isotopes of 20 Athena/Tripod bronze coins from Velia, a Greek colony in Italy, have been analyzed by ICP-MS and TIMS at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (INFN). The coins, dated to the 1st century BC, are part of a broader project promoted by the University of Salerno that won the 2019 Art Bonus Competition. Determining Lead isotopic ratio of these coin samples (to assign/identify a reliable metal provenance) and inves- tigating the geochemistry of the mining districts, to understand the role played by low-value coins at Velia are the main targets of this research. Lead concentrations range from fractions to tens of percentages. Lead and other trace elements data suggest that the raw materials used for the coins came from different mines. Lead isotopic ratios span from 0.836 to 0.837 and from 2.076 to 2.082 for 207Pb/206Pb and 208Pb/206Pb, respectively. The lead iso- tope results were compared with lead isotope data published of ore deposits from Mediterranean areas (Spain, Italy, Greece, and Cyprus) to fingerprint the sources of the Velia bronze coins. Almost half of the coins fall into the clusters of Spain and Tuscany, whereas only a few samples are compatible with Sifnos in Greece (four coins) and Bosa Area in Sardinia and/or Troulli mine in Cyprus (two coins). At last, six coins cannot be associated with any known source; this suggests the possibility of extensive metal recy- cling. Regarding the Spanish provenance, Velia coins overlap the cluster of South-East Spain, corresponding to the Cartagena-Mazarron mine. This information, integrated with archaeological and historical ones, helps to reconstruct the trade routes and socio-economic relationship of the city of Velia.