1,721,049 research outputs found
IL SITO DI VIA LEPANTO: BREVI NOTE SUL TARDOANTICO IN AREA VESUVIANA.
No full textAppendice archeometrica in E. De Carolis, G. Soricelli
Focus Point on Past and Present: Recent Advances in the Investigation of Ancient Materials by Means of Scientific Instrumental Techniques
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Raw materials for ancient ceramic productions from Campania region: provenance studies by means of Sr-Nd isotopes
No full textWhen archaeometric studies on archaeological ceramics are performed, one of the most important questions
asked by archaeologists is the provenance of pottery. This is usually performed by comparing mineropetrographic
and chemical composition of ceramics with that of local raw materials (clays, temper), production
indicators and appropriate reference groups. Nevertheless, the commonly-used analytical techniques (e.g. OM,
SEM-EDS, XRF, ICP-MS) may not always be helpful for the determination of provenance. Indeed, processing
of raw materials, such as tempering or levigation, can significantly modify their original chemical composition,
sometimes leading to an ineffective identification of raw material resources. For this reason, a pioneering
analytical approach has been recently applied by measuring the Sr and Nd isotopic signature.
Isotope analysis has largely used in archaeological sciences to date objects and identify their provenance,
making it also a useful tool for the determination of provenance of ceramic vessels (De Bonis et al., 2018 and
references therein). For this study, 87Sr/86Sr and 143Nd/144Nd isotope ratios were measured on archaeological
pottery from Campania and raw materials (clays and volcanic temper) exploited in antiquity for producing
ceramics. The analyses were focused on samples from both the Bay of Naples and Southern Campania. The
isotope signatures allowed us to better discriminate among different productions and find a strong relationship
between the archaeological pottery and the geological sources of raw materials.
In order to validate the method, Sr-Nd isotope ratios were also measured for the first time on experimental
ceramic materials that replicate archaeological pottery (De Bonis et al., 2018). It was interesting to note that
synthetic mixtures used for the ceramic replicas plot exactly on the theoretical mixing curve between the
clay and volcanic temper end-members. This suggests that the artificial manipulation of raw materials (firing,
levigation, tempering) induces no significant variations to the Sr-Nd isotope fingerprint, which strictly depends
on the geochemical affinity of the raw materials. Thus, isotopic analysis can be considered as an effective
and robust method that could complement the common multi-analytical approach in order to more precisely
constrain potential geological sources for ceramic materials and pottery provenance.
De Bonis, A., Arienzo I., D’Antonio, M., Franciosi, L., Germinario, C., Grifa, C., Guarino, V., Langella, A. & Morra, V.
(2018): Sr-Nd isotopic fingerprint as a tool for ceramic provenance: application on raw materials, ceramic replicas and
ancient pottery. J. Archaeol. Sci., 94, 51-59
Technological features of glazed Protomajolica ware from Benevento (Italy)
No full textThe production of glazed ceramics in Italy started in 13th century, following Islamic tradition and techniques. Protomajolica samples from two medieval archaeological sites in Benevento were analyzed from mineralogical and petrographical points of view to identify and characterize the local production of fine glazed wares. Samples are represented by jugs, amphorae, bowls and dishes finely decorated and covered by thin inner and/or outer glazed surfaces. The colour of almost all the investigated sherds varies from creamy to orange even though, from the same archaeological levels, dark grey coloured ceramic fragments likely affected by overburning of the paste (kiln refuses) were collected.Optical microscopy observations, chemical (XRF) and physical (XRD) analyses allowed to reconstruct the steps of the manufacture process, and to identify a homogeneous group of samples likely belonging to a local production area of Protomajolica, a ceramic class widespread over the Central-Southern Italy between the 13th and the 15th century
Non-invasive FTIR spectroscopy: New preliminary data for the identification of mineralogical phases forming Cultural Heritage materials
No full textThis paper focuses on the application of external reflection Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy for the classification of some minerals commonly used as gemstones and mineral collection: quartz (colourless, tourmalinated and smoky varieties), calcite and aragonite. The results highlight the differences between reflectance and absorbance spectra, allowing a faster, cheaper and non-destructive approach for the identification of monocrystalline minerals
External reflectance FTIR dataset (4000–400 cm−1) for the identification of relevant mineralogical phases forming Cultural Heritage materials
Full text linkThe use of vibrational spectroscopy is gaining more and more relevance in the field of the identification and characterization of Cultural Heritage materials. In this frame we propose and discuss a copious collection of Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectra acquired in external reflectance (ER) mode (4000–400 cm−1), which is a non-destructive and inexpensive analytical technique. Up to 192 spectra were collected, processed and made free-available to the scientists and professionals working in the Cultural Heritage sector. Color and inclusions, optical anisotropy, polymorphism and isomorphism, water content, crystallinity index, polyphasicity are some properties that have driven to rationale of the paper for discriminating groups of geomaterials usually found in studies aimed at the valorization and conservation of Cultural Heritage. Finally, this study offers a robust opportunity to beginners who intend to use ERFTIR as a tool in the field of qualitative and non-destructive mineralogical analysis
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