Gold from the tomb of Scribe Beri: a comparative analytical approach to the New Kingdom gold grave goods from Riqqa (Egypt)

The gold necklace and penannular earrings from tomb 296 at Riqqa, containing the coffins of a female and of a male, the latter a scribe named Beri of the reign of Tuthmosis III (eighteenth Dynasty Egypt), were analysed by PIXE, XRF, and EDS, together with eight penannular earrings from other find-spots of the same period. Analysis of jewellery items from tomb 296 at Riqqa revealed the use of high-purity gold alloys and electrum alloys, while the other earrings investigated were found to be made of electrum with high Ag content. Two earrings conserved in different museums were shown to be originally a pair. PIXE mapping revealed the extensive use of a hard soldering technique for the joints, with the solders being obtained by the addition of Cu to the base alloy. The presence of PGE inclusions indicated the use of alluvial gold, but the variability of their composition could be ascribed to the recycling of gold from different origins, in the case of some objects.