Dora Francesca Barbolla, Lara De Giorgi, Ivan Ferrari, Francesco Giuri, Ilaria Miccoli, Giuseppe Scardozzi, Chiara Torre, Giovanni Leucci
Electromagnetic survey to detect a section of the Messapian city walls in Ugento (Lecce)

The Messapian city walls in Ugento (Puglia, in south Italy) are of great archaeological importance and some sections are still visible. In order to locate a stretch of the city walls, a non-destructive geophysical prospection was performed, applying the electromagnetic method. The survey was carried out in a peripheral area of Ugento, near a visible section of the city walls. The analysis and interpretation of the measured electromagnetic data (specifically in this work, the quadrature-phase component) revealed a clear anomaly that could be ascribed to the city walls; in fact, it is aligned with the adjacent section of the visible walls.

Laura Fabbiano, Alessandro De Marco, Manuela Incerti, Anna Castellano, Gaetano Vacca, Rosario Morello
Integrated survey techniques for historical architectures: first results for Santa Maria della Croce in Casaranello, South of Italy

Historic buildings are complex structures because of both materials and construction techniques that have occurred between the different eras, as well as from the historical point of view (periods of abandonment, changes of use, changes on the original plant, etc...). All events leave marks on the building that form layers legible with different techniques and appropriate analytical procedures. In recent decades, stratigraphic analysis of both positive and negative units has been performed through non-invasive and non-destructive techniques.
Here the authors propose a combined analysis of different techniques in order to obtain a complete knowledge of the architectural structure of the building under investigation. The case study chosen is the church called S. Maria della Croce whose architectural vicissitudes are and have been the subject of study for the relevant historical interest of the monument. The investigation techniques identified to analyze the stratigraphic units of the building are 3D scanning, infrared thermography, and ground penetrating radar (GPR) techniques. These investigations aim to understand what was the original function of the building.
In this paper preliminary information of the research activity is reported, related to the thermographic investigation carried out on the front facade of the church object of investigation, through which the authors want to highlight possible traces of occlusions, openings, removal of materials that can clarify the original use of the monument.

Raffaele Martorana, Patrizia Capizzi, Calogero Giambrone, Valeria Genco, Lisa Simonello
GPR and ERT surveys in the Giardino dell’Annunziata in Cammarata (Sicily)

A recovery project has recently involved a garden sited in Cammarata (Southern Sicily), known as Giardino dell Annunziata adjacent to the church of the same name (Chiesa dell Annunziata). In this area, according to the scarce historical sources, there was a Benedictine convent, probably demolished in the eighteenth century. As a diagnostical support some geophysical surveys were carried out project in the garden. A 3D geoelectric survey and 36 Ground Penetrating Radar profiles were carried out which made it possible to reconstruct the corresponding 3D models of the subsoil. A large resistive anomaly has been detected, which has no match in the 3D GPR model. showing only minor surface anomalies. The anomalous area can be due to an original flow route of the river, but it cannot be excluded that it is caused by an artificial channel or even underground environments, subsequently filled with landfill material. Archaeological excavations are planned to better clarify the nature of the anomaly.

Vittoria Guglielmi, Patrizia Piacentini, Chiara Andrea Lombardi, Valeria Comite, Andrea Bergomi, Mattia Borelli, Gianluca Carabelli, Alfonsina D'Amato, Paola Fermo, Alice Tomaino
Preliminary multi-spectral imaging investigation on items from the Aga Khan III necropolis, Aswan (Egypt)

This study is aimed at the investigation of several items, including fragments of cartonnages, coming from the Aga Khan III necropolis, in West Aswan (Egypt). This preliminary analysis campaign, whose final goal would be the characterisation of the materials used for making and decorating the findings, was performed by means of multi-band imaging technique. The on-site measurements were performed by using portable instrumentation consisting of a modified camera equipped with different excitation sources and specific filters. The captured multi-band images have allowed the formulation of some preliminary but insightful considerations on the chemical nature of the pigments employed. Especially, the characteristic fluorescence of Egyptian blue, detected by means of VIL (Visible Induced Luminescence) technique, permitted both highlighting its presence/absence on the decorated surfaces and obtaining some fascinating and unique images of the objects on which that pigment was used.

Cristina Cicero, Monia Vadrucci, Claudia Mazzuca, Leonardo Severini, Fulvio Mercuri, Ugo Zammit, Noemi Orazi
The X-ray irradiation as disinfection treatment: the state-of-the-art

Collagen-based materials constitute a significant part of the archival and library heritage. Among all the animal skin-derived substrates, parchment was the principal writing support employed in the western world until the invention and diffusion of paper and printing. However, parchment can suffer biodeterioration processes if preserved under altered conditions. Recently, the possibility of using X-ray irradiation to respond to the demand for new effective and green methods for the mass disinfection of the archival and library heritage has opened up new and interesting perspectives. Different studies have been carried out to characterise eventually induced deterioration as well as the effectiveness of the irradiation treatment employed for disinfection purposes on different series of samples. In particular, modern parchment samples before and after the irradiation treatment, artificially aged parchment and historical and natural biodeteriorated parchment have been investigated after being exposed to the irradiation treatment.
In the present work, a brief review and some new results and perspective have been presented.