New Insight on Archaeological Metal Finds, Nails and Lead Sheathings of the Punic Ship from Battle of the Egadi Islands
The wreck of the Punic ship exhibited at the Archaeological Park of Lilybaeum (Marsala, Italy) is a unique example in the world. In this paper, the investigation of some metal finds (30 nails and 3 fragments of sheathings) belonging to the wreck of the Punic ship is reported. Portable X-ray fluorescence and Raman spectroscopy allowed us to identify the elements and compounds constituting them and make some deductions about their composition. X-ray diffractometry, polarised optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy of the collected micro-samples allowed us to explain the degradation that occurred in the underwater environment.
Chemometric Tools to Point Out Benchmarks and Chromophores in Pigments through Spectroscopic Data Analyses
Spectral preprocessing data and chemometric tools are analytical methods widely applied in several scientific contexts i.e., in archaeometric applications. A systematic classification of natural powdered pigments of organic and inorganic nature through Principal Component Analysis with a multi-instruments spectroscopic study is presented here. The methodology allows the access to elementary and molecular unique benchmarks to guide and speed up the identification of an unknown pigment and its recipe. This study is conducted on a set of 48 powdered pigments and tested on a real-case sample from the wall painting in S. Maria Delle Palate di Tusa (Messina, Italy). Four spectroscopic techniques …
Non-invasive investigation on pigments of the Aeolian Islands Neolithic pottery
The Neolithic painted pottery, spread all over southern Italy, is considered as an important chronological indicator for the development of VI-V millennium BC prehistoric settlements and cultural traditions. The goal of this work is to contribute to the study of this ceramic class through the chemical characterization of some samples coming from the Aeolian Islands. 16 different sherds have been selected and the pigments preserved in their decorations analyzed via non-invasive techniques: Fiber Optical Reflectance Spectroscopy (FORS), X-ray Fluorescence (XRF), Raman Spectroscopy and Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR). The different pigments, some of which no longer clearly visible to the naked e…
Improved chemometric approach for XRF data treatment: application to the reverse glass paintings from the Lipari collection
The Aeolian cultural heritage preserves hundreds of testimonies of the past that have passed through six millennia of history. Among these, the Archeological Park of the Aeolian Islands with the Museum Luigi Bernab`o Brea (Italy) preserves a valuable set of artworks, which are related to a little-known ‘popular’ figurative heritage. It is an assemblage of small glass foils decorated using the technique of reverse painting, datable to between the end of the 17th century and the end of the 18th century, and actually under investigation by historians. Here, an X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy study (performed with portable equipment) is combined with a multivariate approach that allows us…
The Church of S. Maria Delle Palate in Tusa (Messina, Italy): Digitization and Diagnostics for a New Model of Enjoyment
Cultural places represent the tangible part of the identity and historical heritage of a civilization as well as an extraordinary driving force for the economic development of a country. Within its huge asset, Italy counts a wide number of archaeological sites and monuments which, despite their cultural value, are totally cut off from the most important cultural routes. This paper aims to demonstrate how specific actions of digitization can contribute to valorize (restoring a cultural value) ‘marginal’ landmarks, promoting their knowledge and inclusion. The case study described is represented by the Church of “Santa Maria delle Palate”, located inside the well-known …
A database for historical pigments through handheld instrumentation
Portable instrumentation is largely used in archaeometry for in-field measurements at museums and archaeological sites. The historic evolution of pigments is closely related to the technology developments in past cultures and provides relevant clues regarding their knowledge advancement. Here, a systematic study of 26 historical powdered pigments was carried out through a combined handheld instrumentation for X-ray Fluorescence. Chemical identification was carried out through a set of instrumentation produced by different manufacturers. Their performances are compared on the same set of samples to identify best practices for the study of historical pigments. A database of organic and inorga…