Russian Scientists Use Digital Tools to Study Ancient Treasure

Scientists from the Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Kurchatov Institute used modern technologies to examine 40 silver beads from the ancient Vozdvizhensky hoard, according to the Russian Academy of Sciences press service.

Researchers analyzed the surface of the artifacts using optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. They reconstructed the decorative elements of the objects using computed tomography. The team concluded that the structural components of the beads are similar in size, suggesting that different craftsmen may have relied on the same production techniques.

Antiquity in Digital Form

All beads are made of high-purity silver and can be classified as elite medieval jewelry. Modern technologies are enabling new scientific insights even into artifacts that have long been studied. At the same time, researchers in Novosibirsk are using computed tomography to study the remains of a woolly rhinoceros. The findings could help scientists forecast population changes among modern endangered species.