25. 08. 2023 We installed an electron microscope

In August, we acquired a fourth-generation Tescan Vega electron microscope for our project. The device can be seen as an exceptional combination of a local product (manufactured in Brno-Kohoutovice) expected to yield regionally significant results. Electron microscopy is an important analytical tool for researching archaeological finds. Our Vega is configured with a tungsten filament as an electron source, a sufficiently large chamber for analysed archaeological finds, and a stage allowing for a wide range of rotation in various axes to facilitate the manipulation of objects. Using scanning (SEM method), we can create precise images of artefact surfaces at magnifications of 2x to 1,000,000x. The integrated energy-dispersive spectrometer (EDS method) allows us to non-invasively determine the material composition of objects. Over the next four years, we will analyze hundreds of jewellery pieces and clothing components from Great Moravian agglomerations in Mikulčice and Staré Město – Uherské Hradiště. We aim to determine the purity of jewellery discovered in various burial sites within both agglomerations. We also seek to answer whether different components of the jewellery differ in material composition and what these findings can reveal about manufacturing techniques and the distribution of elite artefacts. Findings related to heritage protection, such as corrosion product detection or conservation and restoration interventions, are also important to us.