"Romulus and Remus symbol of Rome could be medieval replica " Topic

"The symbol of Rome – a bronze she-wolf suckling Romulus and Remus, the legendary founders of the city – may be a medieval replica rather than a 2,500 year-old Etruscan creation,…

The bronze statue, which encapsulates the mythical origins of the Eternal City, is one of the star attractions in Rome's Capitoline Museums and is reproduced on countless T-shirts, key rings and postcards.

It has always been claimed that it was forged in the fifth century BC during the Etruscan era, which predated the Roman republic and empire.

Five years ago it was subjected to carbon dating testing, which suggested that it may have been made during the Middle Ages…"
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Amicalement
Armand

Does carbon dating work on bronze? I thought it was only for organic materials.

I seem to remember reading years ago that the she-wolf was ancient but the brats were Renaissance additions.

The report is from 2011. IIRC they actually x-rayed the castings which revealed they weren't made in the Greek style, from multiple pieces brazed together. I -think- there was a suggestion that they drilled or found a hole somewhere and tried to sample the core material from the original casting, but that may have only been a suggestion to do that.

For carbon C14/C12 dating to work, one does need there to be carbon associated with the object.

But most human activity incorporate some carbon. Making bronze would as well. There are ways the system can lead one astray. The "start" date is when life stops, so coal, for example will not give you the date it was burned, but no date, as it has had no life well past the ~50,000 year max. But wood ash is a good source. Assuming someone is not using very old wood.

There are other isotopic ratio dating systems, as well as oxygen migration techniques.

Science is a process, so keep you eyes open to more research.