Roman brass samples coming from ancient Mediolanum town: a neutron investigation for the study of the production technology

During the excavation in Corso Porta Romana, Milan, numerous fragments of metal and crucible connected to bronze and brass production have been unearthed. This set is related to the activity of at least one workshop in the Roman city of Mediolanum (I-II century AD). The production of brass in Roman times was documented only in England, Germany, and France, but it was completely unknown in Italy. Hence a set of crucible fragments has been selected to be investigated in a non-destructive way through Time-of-Flight Neutron Diffraction (ToF-ND), Neutron Resonance Capture Analysis (NRCA) and Neutron Resonance Transmission Imaging (NRTI) to disclose evidence of brass casting in Milan and to reconstruct the production technology.