An attempt to date an antique Benin bronze using neutron resonance capture analysis

Neutron resonance capture analysis was applied to a bronze commemorative plaque from the West-African country Benin. By comparison with recently published element compositions of Benin memorial heads, the alloy of the plaque could be dated to the period 1725–1897 AD. In the analysis procedure, the object was not damaged, cleaned or altered, and very little long-lived radioactivity was induced.