Coins from Qasr-e Abu Nasr: archaeometallurgical and numismatic studies on pre-Islamic and Islamic coins excavated in South-Central Iran.

A group of coins excavated at Qasr-e Abu Nasr, Shiraz, in south-central Iran, now in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, was studied and analyzed to examine the minting processes and to reconsider the numismatic history of the site. For this purpose, forty-three gold-, silver-, and copper-based coins were studied and analyzed by micro-X-ray fluorescence, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and metallographic techniques. The results of the analyses showed a wide range of alloy compositions. The gold coins are comprised of impure gold and electrum, while the silver coins are made of either near pure silver or debased silver copper. The copper-based coins are struck from a range of alloys, namely impure copper, tin bronze, leaded copper, and high-leaded tin bronze, closely correlated to the date and place of minting. The results of this interdisciplinary study provide new insights into the archaeology of Qasr-e Abu Nasr, as well as present new information about the history of minting on the Iranian Plateau. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]