X-ray Fluorescence Mapping of the Lead Distribution on the Surface of a Bronze Vessel Lid with a Dolphin Figurine from the 1st Century BC from the Polyanka Settlement the Crimean Azov Region

Using X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, the spatial features of the alloy composition distribution over the surface of the lid of a vessel with a sculptural representation of a dolphin found at the Polyanka settlement in the Crimean Azov region and dating to the second half of the 1st century BC is studied. The lid is made of highly alloyed lead-tin bronze, which is typical of the late Hellenistic period. A lead solder used to connect the rings of the hinge mechanism and to repair the tail end of the dolphin figurine is identified. A metallurgical feature of this object is the use of “pure” copper for the rod around which the lid rotated.