CHARACTERIZATION AND CONSERVATION STUDY OF ANCIENT EGYPTIAN BRONZE BELLS

Abstract

Two Bronze Bells were excavated through the Egyptian- Italian expedition in Medinet Madi, Fayoum, Egypt. They are dated back to the Late Period (664-332 BC) preserved in the store museum of Kom Oshim, Fayoum governorate. They were manufactured by the lost wax process. Visual examination, USB digital microscope, metallographic examination, scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive spectroscopy, portable X-ray fluorescence and X-ray diffraction were used in this study to elucidate the micro-structure and elemental chemical composition of the bells, and identify the corrosion morphology. The results indicated that the bells had been manufactured with a ternary alloy Cu-Sn-Pb. Two-phased microstructure the α-Cu phase and the (α-Cu+δ-Sn) eutectoid could be observed with Pb small globules and scattered porosity. The corrosion products were identified as atacamite, paratacamite and malachite for the bronze bell, and goethite for the iron clapper. Conservation treatments included cleaning and protection processes to reveal the bells shape and provide better protection against corrosion.