ISIS Neutron and Muon Source Data Journal

Determining cinnabar provenance through mercury isotope measurement

Abstract: This proposal presents an innovative approach to exploring the provenance of cinnabar, a vivid red mercury sulfide with a rich historical use in funerary practices, medicine, and cosmetics across various cultures and epochs. The project seeks to employ isotopic analysis, specifically focusing on mercury isotopes, to determine the geological origins of cinnabar samples from established historical sites. This investigation will utilize non-destructive Nuclear Resonance Transmission Imaging (NRTI) in conjunction with traditional multicollector ICP-MS methods, allowing for a comparison of their effectiveness in accurately tracing cinnabar sources. The successful execution of this project promises to provide a non-destructive analytical tool for cultural heritage studies, significantly reducing conservation concerns linked with conventional methodologies. This proposal seeks authorization for four days of beamtime at the INES facility, which is essential for conducting the comprehensive isotopic analyses required to fulfill the project's objectives.

Principal Investigator: Dr Elisabetta Gliozzo
Local Contact: Dr Antonella Scherillo
Experimenter: Dr Giulia Marcucci

DOI: 10.5286/ISIS.E.RB2510170

ISIS Experiment Number: RB2510170

Publisher: STFC ISIS Neutron and Muon Source

Data format: RAW/Nexus
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Data Citation

The recommended format for citing this dataset in a research publication is as:
[author], [date], [title], [publisher], [doi]

For Example:
Dr Elisabetta Gliozzo et al; (2025): Determining cinnabar provenance through mercury isotope measurement, STFC ISIS Neutron and Muon Source, https://doi.org/10.5286/ISIS.E.RB2510170

Data is released under the CC-BY-4.0 license.