TITLE:
Silver and Gold on the Hairs of Holy Maria-Magdalena, Studied by Scanning Electron Microscopy and Elemental Analysis
AUTHORS:
Gérard Lucotte
KEYWORDS:
Maria-Magdalena’s Hair, SEM-EDX Analyses, Silver and Gold Particles, Successive Reliquaries Where Maria-Magdalena’s Remains Were Kept, Calcium Phosphate Deposits, Other Metallic Particles
JOURNAL NAME:
Archaeological Discovery,
Vol.7 No.4,
October
11,
2019
ABSTRACT: We have studied by optical microscopy and by SEM-EDX some metallic particles of silver and gold adhering to the Maria-Magdalena hairs. The presence of silver particles is explained by the contact between hairs and the inner side made of silver of the initial reliquary where Maria-Magdalena remains were kept. Presence of gold particles is also explained by the contact between hairs and the gold of the bust-reliquary where hairs of Maria-Magdalena hairs were kept between 1283 and 1793.