Preliminary Sequencing of Herod I’s Undated Coins Based on Alloy Changes over Time

Abstract

Undated prutot attributed to Herod I (the Great), and selected dated coins bracketing his rule,
were analyzed by x-ray fluorescence (XRF) to determine major and trace elements, and by
multi-collector inductively-coupled plasma mass-spectrometry (MC-ICP-MS) to obtain lead
isotopic analyses (LIA). Declining amounts of arsenic in Judean coins during the period 100
BCE to 100 CE allow us to study a proposed relative chronology for Herod I’s undated coins.
We attribute the loss of arsenic to both re-smelting of bronze and to a changing pattern in local
metal supplies, with copper alloys from Dead Sea Rift mines replacing those from Cyprus.