Abstract
Investigations of physical properties and chemical composition of ancient materials generate important data for answering culture-historical questions that cannot be solved by art historical and archaeological methods alone. This contribution reports on the analysis of six Roman coins, with different degrees of corrosion layers in parts that were not handled or polished, using four non-destructive methods: low-energy particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE, 2 MeV), high-energy PIXE (68 MeV), μ-X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometry with a portable device and synchrotron radiation induced XRF. Because of differences in the conditions needed for measurement and the influence of the layers of patina on these measurements, there were few elements where the quantitative data were in agreement. Thus comparative analyses are essential to validate future measurement projects using different methods.