Corinth Publication: Caley, Proceedings of the American Philosophical 84:5... 1941 | Collection: | | Corinth | | Name: | | Caley, Proceedings of the American Philosophical 84:5... 1941 | | Title: | | The Corroded Bronze of Corinth | | Author: | | Caley, Earle R. | | Series Title: | | Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society | | Volume: | | 84:5 | | Month: | | July | | Date: | | 1941 | | Abstract: | | In an effort to determine why bronze objects found at the site of ancient Corinth are almost invariably in a very poor state of preservation chemical analyses were made of several typical objects. Two especially significant facts were thus discovered. One was that the metal of all such objects originally contained a high proportion of tin and little or no lead, a type of metal likely to become highly corroded under natural conditions. The other was that basic cupric chloride was present in noticeable quantity in the corrosion products of these objects, an indication that the soil conditions at the site were unfavorable for the preservation of bronze. That the water and soil at Corinth contain an unusually high proportion of soluble chlorides is indicated by the presence of an unusually high proportion of chloride ion in the water of the Fountain Peirene. Experiments in which a clean fragment of ancient Corinthian bronze was exposed to the action of chloride solutions under various conditions confirmed the hypothesis that soluble chlorides, as well as the composition of the metal, were responsible for the very poor state of preservation of the objects. In order to obtain information on the mechanism of the corrosive action, a detailed microscopic examination was made of the metallic core and patina of one of the objects. Photomicrographs of typical structures were taken, and some of these are shown on the Plates. From the various observed facts and the general electrolytic theory of corrosion a detailed explanation is given of the probable course of the chemical changes which occurred during the corrosion of bronze at Corinth. This explanation fully accounts for the formation of the various compounds found in the corrosion products. In conclusion a critical examination is made of the statement of Pausanias about the treatment of the bronze of Corinth in the water of the Fountain Peirene. It is shown that chemical and metallurgical facts make possible the definite rejection of certain previous interpretations or translations of this statement. For example, it is impossible that the treatment had as its purpose the hardening of the metal. What appears likely is that the water was employed as a cooling medium in the working of high-tin bronze and that the successful working of this particular alloy at Corinth was wrongly ascribed to the peculiar character of the water of the Fountain Peirene rather than to the particular course of heat treatment to which the bronze was subjected. | | Page: | | 689-761 | | JSTOR: | | http://www.jstor.org/stable/984846 |
|
