1,720,988 research outputs found
A preliminary study of ceramic pastes in the copper age pottery production of the Rome area
No full textThis paper presents the preliminary results of an analytical study on domestic pottery samples originating from the Copper Age sites of Casetta Mistici, Tor Pagnotta, Osteria del Curato-Via Cinquefrondi, Torre della Chiesaccia and Valle dei Morti, all of which are located in the Rome area (Latium, Italy). The aim of this research is to define the compositional features of the ceramic pastes and to reconstruct the main technological choices characterising pottery production in these contexts. The importance of these archaeological sites lies in their geographic position, being located in an area bounded by the Tiber and Aniene rivers and the Colli Albani volcano, and in their stratigraphic sequence, spanning from the mid-fourth to the end of the third millennium bc. This research, based on a petrographic and chemical investigation of pottery samples, led to the distinction of eight petrographic groups that reflect specific choices in pottery production. Moreover, the analytical results provide indications about the prehistoric pottery production of the Rome area in relation to the ceramic recipes used, the pastes that were obtained and their sourcing areas
Analisi petrografica dei materiali argillosi non vascolari dal sito di Oratino - La Rocca
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Cooking traces on Copper Age pottery from central Italy: An integrated approach comprising use wear analysis, spectroscopic analysis and experimental archaeology
No full textThis contribution discusses the results of an integrated approach of use wear analysis, spectroscopic analysis and experimental archaeology, applied for the investigation of the actual use of selected ceramic vessels, taken from domestic Copper Age contexts in the modern Rome area. This study is based upon the consideration of a vessel as a tool, used during everyday life and thus reflecting human activities and social behaviours. To this end, the paper here presented proposes an interpretation of the actual use activities which led to the modification of prehistoric vessels. The methodology of this study integrates the traditional approach to ceramic use wear studies, based on experimental and ethnoarchaeological studies, with principles of tribology, along with the application of a dedicated experimental framework which enabled the development of a detailed collection of comparative use wear. Moreover, the application of spectroscopic analysis provided preliminary data related to the charred encrustations found inside the archaeological specimens. These data, when combined with use wear, palaeobotanical remains and archaeological preserved structures, aided interpretation of the archaeological ceramic vessels as cooking pots
How green possibilities can help in a future sustainable conservation of cultural heritage in Europe
Full text linkWe are moving towards a future that must be more sustainable in several aspects of society. Culture and cultural heritage have been recognized as indispensable parts of the sustainable growth of society, and the conservation model implemented in Europe has been considered as an example to follow at the economic, environmental, and social levels. The achievement of excellent results and the development of new technologies for the conservation of cultural heritage have highlighted the fundamental need for a method of sustainable conservation. In this commentary paper, we discuss two aspects that can contribute to sustainability in the future of conservation science: the use of innovative chemical products and the monitoring of outdoor sites by means of the forecast of the impact of dangerous factors on artistic surfaces. We are focusing mainly on the material aspect of cultural assets and how hard science can help in sustainable conservation. Even if the concept of sustainability has an ever-growing presence in our society, and different approaches have been given in different fields, it is still difficult to come up with a specific definition that can include the various hues of the world of cultural heritage conservation. The case studies presented in this paper are related to the European area and the advancements made for the sustainable preservation of such heritage. Considering the results obtained from both the chemical and the forecast side, we will try to summarize concisely the tasks that must be achieved in order to indicate as sustainable an approach to diagnostics for cultural heritage, including both the trans-disciplinary features of cultural heritage science and the scientific conservation of materials
The technology of Copper Age funerary pottery from Central Italy. An integrated study of compositional analyses and manufacturing traces
Full text linkThe paper focuses on ceramic vessels unearthed from Copper Age necropolises located in the area of the modern city of Rome and commonly attributed to the Rinaldone culture. The peculiar vessels’ shapes, mainly associated with the consumption of beverages, their accuracy of manufacture and the very low impact of these ceramic morphologies in the coeval household assemblages lead to the study of such an apparently selected production through a multidisciplinary research. Petrographic analysis, X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) integrated with the analysis of manufacturing traces and X-ray investigation suggest the transmission of technological choices, which remained unchanged over almost two millennia
Aqua Virgo: first characterization of mortars and plasters from the inner duct
No full textAqua Virgo is the ancient Roman aqueduct, inaugurated in 19 BC, that today still carries water to Fontana di Trevi. It is the only aqueduct built by ancient Romans for their capital that never stopped working, even when all the other aqueducts have been damaged during barbarian invasions (Pace, 2010). Two sectors of the inner underground duct of the aqueduct have been explored in this research: one still functioning area located under Pincian Hill, from San Sebastianello reservoir to the spiral staircase of Villa Medici, and one segment (now in disuse) between Via del Nazareno, Via dei Due Macelli and Via del Tritone. A total of 17 mortars and plasters samples have been collected from different parts of the inner duct (vault, lateral walls, inner part of walls, covering plasters) and 3 samples also from the cocciopesto of a duct that intersect Aqua Virgo just before Via del Nazareno, named “Y” (Baumgartner, 2017). A multi-analytical approach has been applied for the archaeometric characterization of the materials constituting the binder and the aggregate, and the reactions occurred between them: optical microscopy in thin section (OM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM-EDS), and thermogravimetric analysis on the binder fraction (TGA). As Aqua Virgo has a millenary working history, the aim of this work is to characterize what are supposed to be original materials from the Roman period and compare them with subsequent restorations; also, to compare the samples from aqueduct “Y”, whom attribution is still unknown (but it is supposed to be antecedent), with the ones of Aqua Virgo.
REFERENCES
Baumgartner M. (2017) - Roma rinascente: la città antica tra Quirinale e Pincio. De Luca editori d'arte, 295 pp.
Pace P. (2010) - Acquedotti di Roma e il De aquaeductu di Frontino. Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), 326 pp
An integrated approach based on archaeometry, use-wear analysis and experimental archaeology to investigate the function of a specific type of basin diffused in the Predynastic sites of lower Egypt (4th mill. BC)
Full text linkThis paper focuses on the functional analysis of a specific oval shaped basin diffused in Lower Egyptian Predynastic sites during the first half of the 4th millennium BC. These oval shallow ceramic basins are characterised by a flat and wide inner surface that is covered by a layer of small rock fragments pressed into the clay matrix. Several archeologists have interpreted them as grinding tools, but the limited number of samples unearthed thus far and their poor state of preservation made this interpretation uncertain. Here we present the results of a preliminary integrated study based on the combination of experimental archaeology and petrographic, use-wear and residue analyses carried out on two samples from the Predynastic site of Maadi. The use-wear analysis of the archaeological fragments highlighted traces of an intentional grinding and light pounding of oily substances, which is also partially supported by the organic residue investigation. These results were tested through experimental tests that confirmed these basins are most likely mortars. Establishing the actual functional activities performed in such a unique type of vessel is important not only for understanding the social behaviors of the Lower Egyptian Predynastic communities and the dynamics related to the diffusion of such basins, but it also provides a new methodological framework for Egyptian Predynastic studies
European Museums’ Night 2024: understanding radiometric dating through a scavenger hunt inside the MUST (Museo Universitario di Scienze della Terra, Sapienza)
No full textHands-on activities are experiential learning opportunities that allow students to engage with a topic
through direct interaction. These “learning by doing” activities achieve, through the active involvement of the participants, an improved understanding and a long term retention of the studied topics. Hands-on activities allow to see, touch, manipulate, hear and even smell or taste aspects of the learning material, in a process that caters to the needs of students with different learning styles. When involving collaboration and teamwork, hands-on activities are also powerful tools to improve students’ soft skills. Such tools, if introduced in dissemination and outreach activities, can have an effective impact in enhancing the understanding of difficult topics (e.g. the concept of deep time) by the general public. For this reason, during the European night of Museums 2024, at the Sapienza University Museum of Earth Sciences in Rome (MUST), children and young adults were offered the opportunity to join a scavenger hunt and to date their geological find. This activity used recycled materials such as bottle caps and paper clips to build specimens that explain the basic concepts of radioactive decay and half-life. The participants witnessed radioactive decay “in real time” by manipulating the specimens and watching the caps “decaying” into paperclips and then proceeded to the radiometric dating of their own sample based on its caps to paper clips ratio
Mortars of the ancient Roman aqueduct Aqua Traiana: an archaeometric study about the aggregate fraction
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