Stroeters, Nicholas, Andrew Diefenbach, and Mark Benvenuto
A group of copper-based coins of the Kushan emperor Kujula Kadphises were analyzed via energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (EDXRF) for the following elements: copper, silver, gold, zinc, tin, iron, cobalt, nickel, arsenic, bismuth, lead, and antimony. The coins were found to be predominantly copper, with very small amounts of iron and only trace amounts of tin and silver. The purity of this set of coins was higher than expected; possible reasons are discussed.