Bronzes

Documentation and Study of Copper-Alloy Objects in the Collection of the Museo Egizio

Bronzes - Documentation and Study of Copper-Alloy Objects in the Collection of the Museo Egizio

Coordinator: Johannes Auenmüller

Team: Sara Aicardi, Valentina Turina, Chiara Di Rosa

Partner institutions: Politecnico di Torino (PoliTo); Università degli Studi di Torino (UniTO); Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN); TU Delft; University of California Los Angeles (UCLA); Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR)

The project aims to produce the first systematic documentation and interdisciplinary study of the copper-alloy objects currently held at the Museo Egizio in Turin – a collection of approximately 1.000 artefacts including tools, vessels, and statuettes.

The primary goal is to understand the material composition, production techniques, and technological characteristics of these objects, integrating archaeological analysis with advanced diagnostic methods. In parallel, the project seeks to clarify the cultural, iconographic, and functional contexts of the artefacts, with particular attention to the production of votive bronzes and containers for animal mummies. A further objective is the dissemination of results through scientific publications, conferences, and public access to data via the museum’s Online Collection platform, contributing to the advancement of ancient Egyptian metallurgy studies.

The project combines Egyptological research, museum documentation, and archaeometric analyses. The objects are examined through a systematic procedure encompassing catalogue data review, high-resolution photographic documentation, and typological and iconographic analysis. These activities are complemented by non-invasive scientific investigations aimed at understanding composition and manufacturing techniques, including X-ray radiography, XRF spectrometry, XRD diffraction, computed tomography, neutron imaging techniques, and neutron activation analysis. The analyses are carried out in collaboration with academic institutions and specialised research centres. Work proceeds by selected typological groups – such as Osiris statuettes or coffins for animal mummies – enabling the development of replicable protocols for the study of the entire collection.

The project entails the systematic documentation of the bronzes in the collection and the updating of related records in the Museo Egizio's Online Collection. On the scientific side, archaeometric and technological analyses will be conducted on the artefacts, with the aim of acquiring new data on Egyptian bronze production techniques. The results will feed into publications in peer-reviewed journals, contributions to edited volumes, and presentations at international conferences. The project will also provide scientific support for the new museum section dedicated to metals within the Materials. The Shape of Time galleries, and will foster interdisciplinary collaborations between the Museum, universities, and research centres as well as individual researchers.

Links

Auenmüller, Johannes, “Creating Coffins: Making Animal Mummy Containers in Bronze”, in: Salima Ikram, Sara Aicardi and Federica Facchetti (eds.), The Animal Mummies of the Museo Egizio, Turin (Studi del Museo Egizio 5), Modena 2024, pp. 79 95; https://shop.museoegizio.it/media/fcp/pdf/9788857020136a.pdf

Online Collection: https://tinyurl.com/BronziMuseoEgizio

Lecture “A New Look at Old Bronzes: Some Technological Observations on Votive Coffins for Animal Mummies”, held on May 18, 2021: https://www.youtube.com/live/nNrjmggnRjI?si=9CL9lJGqIpWfw4h3

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