Figure 2 shows a MEB photograph of some part of the longitudinal line; EDX analysis establishes that it is mainly compounded of silver (of the chloride form, which is the most stable). Two other parts of the line are shown on Figure 3, which are of the same elemental composition. In a fourth part of the line (Figure 4), the height of the chlorine peak is as elevated as that of the silver main peak.

Figure 5 shows a granulous particle (of about 3 µm of length), located on hair number 1. Elemental analysis of this particle establishes that it is compounded of a mixture of silver chloride and sulphide. Figure 6 shows another particle, also located on hair number 1 that is of silver sulphide with gold. Figure 7 shows another particle located on hair number 2 that is a plaque (of more than 5 µm of

length) of silver sulphide with some traces of copper. Figure 8 a voluminous (of more than 150 µm of length on about 50 µm of width) rectangular plaque, located at the vicinity of some part of hair number 4, that is compounded of many parts of pure silver.

Figure 9 is a SEM photograph of one of the three particles of gold, depicted on Figure 1, located on hair number 2; it is a multi-lobed particle of about 1.5 µm of maximal length. Its elemental analysis establishes that it is mainly compounded of gold (in fact an alloy, with 8.5% of silver and 2.2% of copper). The sulphur content in the sample is, as for all of the gold particles studied here, more elevated than that found in ancient hairs (Lucotte & Thomasset, 2017b) ; it is deduced that this elemental level in sulphur is mainly due to pollution. The composition of the particle located on hair number 3 (Figure 10) is also that of an alloy of gold, silver and copper. But in the plaque, also located on hair number 3 (Figure 11), the alloy is mainly of gold with traces of copper; it is also the case for a second smaller plaque (Figure 12), located on hair number 1, and for a third plaque (Figure 13), but with silver, located on hair number 1.

Figure 14 shows an example of grains of gold dust, located on hair number 9. Figure 15 shows examples of two little particles of gold (of a gold powder), located on hair number 3. Figure 16 shows an example of a scale of pure gold, of a relatively great size (of more than 2 µm of maximal length), which is located on hair number 9.

There is only one piece of pure copper (Supplementary Figure 1). It is a little plaque of this metal, located on the surface of hair number 3. Most of the copper-compounded pieces found are particle of brass: Supplementary Figure 2 shows one of them, also located on hair number 3; there are other plaques of brass, located near hair number 6 and between hairs 9 and 10. Probably they are fragments pulled up to the metal of the reliquary. Supplementary Figure 3 shows a group of little copper-made particles (calibrated at about 5 µm of length, and of a manufactured form), located on some part of hair number 6. Elemental analyses establish that they are particles of copper sulphate; they are powder members of a classical phytosanitary product. Such groups of copper sulphate particles occur also on two other parts of hair number 6, and on hair number 10.

All of the ten hairs studied have deposits of calcium phosphate on their surfaces. That is important to consider, because hydroxyapatite remains the mineral component found in ancient bones (Lucotte & Thomasset, 2017c) .

In some cases the calcium phosphate deposit is very thin (Figure 17); but often this thin deposit is arranged in longitudinal line running along the hair surface (Figure 18). Locally the calcium phosphate deposit can also be thick (with more mineral matter contained in its), constituting a bone scale with acute borders (Figure 19).

In other cases the bone scales appear clearly as loaded on the hair surface (Figure 20). The most extreme situation of osseous scale loading is represented on Figure 21: a voluminous (of more than 50 µm of maximal length) scale of calcium phosphate, very thick and longitudinally fragmented.

In summary, I found on the hairs numerous particles of silver and gold, but also some metallic particles of copper, lead, iron, titanium, aluminium and mercury. All the hairs have deposits of calcium phosphate on their surfaces.

Table 1 summarizes all the observations on calcium phosphate deposits on each hair studied. That suggests a previous close and prolonged contact between these hairs and some bone. We have a representation (Figure 22) of the ancient (since 1283 to 1793) bust-reliquary of Maria-Magdalena: that is a bust of gold, where her cranium was loaded; the cranium, with adhering hairs, was surmounted by a crown of gold (that of Charles 1^er d’Anjou). In this 1283 reliquary, hairs framed the cranium. It is probable that calcium phosphate deposits observed result from narrow contact (during about fifty centuries) of hairs adhering to the cranium.

Table 2 summarizes all the observations of gold particles on hairs. Probably most of them (particularly those that are of pure gold) are due to close contact between hairs and the gold of the bust-reliquary and that of the crown.

Silver particles (Table 3) are more difficult to explain. But we know (Franzoni, 2016) that Maria-Magdalena’s remains were initially (since 1281) kept in a

silver reliquary; possibly some of the silver particles observed on hairs were due to initial contact with the inner side of the reliquary.