Investigation of archaeometric properties of Byzantine copper and copper alloy coins of Dara Ancient City (Mardin)

Portable Energy Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence Spectrometer (P-EDXRF) was used to determine the element ratios of the coins in this master's thesis study, which aims to determine the chemical composition of 38 copper and copper alloy coins of the ancient city of Dara that kept in the Mardin Archeology Museum. The museum did not dated to all studied coins. Therefore, firstly, in order to date the artifacts, museum inventory records, publications containing national and international coin catalogs were searched. As a result of the analyzes, chemical compositions and alloy ratios of 38 coins were determined. The average major element ratios of the coins belonging to the Byzantine period were determined as 95.4% copper (Cu) and 3.01% lead (Pb). With the thesis study, by analyzing the coins belonging to the Byzantine period, the emperors of the period were compared and information was given about their economic, political and social situations. Within the scope of the analysis results, it was determined that the copper ratios of the coins of the emperor periods of I. Anastasius, I. Iustinus, I. Iustinianus, II. Iustinus and Mauricius Tiberius were similar.