IMEKO Event Proceedings Search

Page 8 of 936 Results 71 - 80 of 9356

Chiara Maria Lebole, Giorgio Di Gangi, Gabriele Sartorio, Marco Ginepro, Giulia Costamagna
Interpreting soils. Archaeology and chemical analysis: Orgéres site (La Thuile, AO - Italy)

Orgères site (La Thuile-AO- 1665m.) is located at the beginning of the Chavannes valley, an alternative road to the Piccolo St. Bernardo pass. The alpine context is difficult to interpret due to continuous reuse of structures from earlier periods to the uninterrupted construction, and the modest amount of archaeological material. This accomplishes several issues not only for re-proposing a precise chronology (derived through very meticulous stratigraphic excavation), but also the intended use of rooms or stratigraphic units. Some excavation areas were initially interpreted through comparison with other contexts. thanks to ethnoarchaeology, but especially to chemical laboratory analysis gave voice to these hypotheses.

Brunella Cipolletta, Myriam Fiore, Georgia Ntasi, Massimo Botto, Leila Birolo, Livia Tirabassi
The challenge of extracting proteins from potteries

Proteomic approaches based on mass spectrometry (MS) have been used successfully in the recent past for the molecular characterisation of several proteins-containing art works and archaeological objects. However, there are still relatively few examples of the successful recovery and identification of proteins from archaeological pottery. This is mostly because ceramics often contain a much lower amount of proteinaceous material, that is also highly contaminated and degraded, thus making proteomic analyses quite challenging. In the attempt to address this issue, we herein report efforts in developing new methods for the detection and characterisation of protein residues deposited in pottery, with results in the analysis of archaeological samples from Pani Loriga as case studies.

Alessandra Pecci, Simona Mileto, Silvia Ritondale, Valeria Amoretti, Luana Toniolo, Daniela Cottica
Wine production and consumption in context: organic residue analysis in the so-called thermopolium V 4, 6-8 at Pompeii

This paper presents the results of an interdisciplinary study of the building V 4, 6-8, at Pompeii. The building was previously interpreted as a wine production installation (Brun and Neyme, 2008). Later, it was further investigated by a team from Ca Foscari University of Venice. Archaeological excavations and further studies revealed that this building underwent a series of changes through time, being gradually converted into a space dedicated to food processing and serving. The organic residue analyses carried out by the University of Barcelona using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) confirm that this building was used for the production of wine. The identification of other residues (compatible with plant oil and animal products) can be related to the re-use of some of the dolia, reinforcing the evidence of different types of food and beverages being sold in the last phase of life of the building, when it appears to have functioned as a caupona.

Piergiulio Cappelletti, Francesco Izzo, Concetta Rispoli, Antonino Pollio, Antonino De Natale, Mariagioia Petraretti, Andrea Carpentieri, Leila Birolo, Giarita Ferraro, Anna Manzone, Alessandro Vergara, Chiara Melchiorre
A pre-restoration minero-petrographic, chemical and microbiological analysis of the sculpture Real Infante Carlo Tito di Borbone

A minero-petrographic, chemical and microbiological analysis was carried out on the sculpture Real Infante Carlo Tito di Borbone, recently attributed to Giuseppe Sanmartino. A combination of microscopic, spectroscopic, chromatographic characterization along with the isolation of the microbial population was adopted to evaluate the conservation state of the sculpture. The stone composition was characterized and both biodeterioration and traces of previous restoration were detected.

Georgia Ntasi, Brunella Cipolletta, Carmen Aprea, Laura Dello Ioio, Celia Duce, Emanuele Crisci, Emilia Bramanti, Alessandro Vergara, Ilaria Bonaduce, Leila Birolo
Proteomics and spectroscopic analyses for the molecular characterization of collagen-based animal glues

Animal glues are widely used in restoration, as adhesives, binders, and consolidants for organic and inorganic materials. Their variable performances are intrinsically linked to the adhesive characteristics of collagen, which determines the chemical, physical, and mechanical properties of the glue. A shotgun proteomic analysis provided animal origin, even when blended, and allowed to distinguish between hide and bone glue on the basis of the presence of collagen type III. Proteomics and analytical pyrolysis coupled to GC-MS have been used to analyse chemical modifications in collagen, demonstrating their variability among different glues and showing that, on average, bone glues are less deamidated than hide glues, but more fragmented, and mixed-collagen glues are overall less deamidated than pure glues. Spectroscopic analyses have also been exploited to gain insights in structural changes occurring upon glue preparation from natural materials.

Eleni Konstantakopoulou, Annalaura Casanova Municchia, Roberto Ferretti, Simone Porcinai, Marco Ferretti
Quantitative criteria to configure and characterise portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometers

The emergence of hand-held X-ray fluorescence devices (HH-XRF) has changed the cultural approach to the analysis of ancient materials. These instruments are characterised by highly miniaturised hardware and powerful software and much of the designer s efforts are devoted to encourage users to consider the device as a black box, with no need to go into the substance of its functioning. For those who prefer to go into the substance instead, this paper discusses some preliminary activities necessary to prepare it for the field. In particular, we discuss the optimisation of the primary filter and the calibration of two XRF devices i.e. a hand-held Bruker Tracer 5g and an in-house developed portable spectrometer, by considering two quantitative parameters: the limit of quantification and the relative uncertainty of quantification.

Giulia Marcucci, Antonella Scherillo, Maria Pia Riccardi, Costanza Cucini, Marco Tizzoni, Daniela Di Martino
An innovative neutron spectroscopic imaging technique: mapping the elements distribution inside the bulk of archaeological artefacts

This work highlights the significant advances in neutron imaging at the ISIS Neutron and Muon Source, specifically focusing on the development of the nuclear technique Neutron Resonance Transmission Imaging (NRTI). NRTI combines the sensitivity to elemental and isotopic composition with detailed morphological information, utilizing the epithermal portion of the neutron flux. Unlike standard neutron radiography/tomography, NRTI allows for the identification and localization of specific elements and isotopes within an object's volume without physical sampling. The technique preserves detailed time and energy information for each pixel of the detector, enabling enhanced analysis and visualization of elemental distribution and composition. A case study related to Cultural Heritage is presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of NRTI in non-destructive investigations of inhomogeneous artefacts, specifically focusing on the excavation finds related to the first testimony of ancient brass production in Milan, Italy.

Lucas Ignacio Gheco
When a painting is a history on the rock. A methodological approach to rock art studies through the case of El Alto-Ancasti's Mountain

It is a common approach in cultural heritage studies that portable and non-invasive techniques are used. However, when dealing with rock art research this represents further challenges.
Our research carried out in El Alto-Ancasti's Mountain (Catamarca, Argentina), at several archaeological sites, have studied the historical processes of production, uses and transformation of caves and shelters with rock art. From a material approach to rock art, we have sought to understand the history of painting and use of different caves through a methodology that combines different lines of evidence: study of tonalities, overlaps and morphological characteristics of the motifs; spatial studies; and archaeometric analysis. As a result, we have established different chronologies and some social practices associated with rock art in El Alto-Ancasti.
All this highlighted the complex and diverse nature of El Alto-Ancasti’s rock art caves and shelters, and the need to understand their particular histories through new strategies and appropriate methodologies.

Antonio Rodríguez Alcalá, John F. Chuchiak IV, Zoraida Raimúndez Ares, Maria Felicia Rega, Luis Díaz de León, Hans B. Erikson
The Virtual Recreation of Mani's Auto de Fe (1562): Methodology and Approach to an Historical Event

In the context of heritage conservation, an important and recently developed part of any project is its virtual restitution. Virtual modelling is a growing discipline, used for various purposes, both academic and recreational. Thanks to the use of 3D reconstruction and augmented reality, it is possible to reconstruct an historical event and create an interactive experience aimed at a large audience. Praeteritas Urbes, in collaboration with INAH (Museo Regional de Palacio Cantón) and a multidisciplinary group of researchers, intends to reconstruct an important historical event for the history of the colonial period in the Mayan area, the Auto de Fe of Maní of 1562. This article discusses the methodology used to conduct the project, including the process of the virtual reconstruction of the former convent of St. Michael the Archangel, the virtual recreation of the historical characters, and the curation of a virtual museum exhibition.

Pablo Sicre-González, Ana María Niveau-de-Villedary Y Mariñas, Juan Ignacio Vallejo Sánchez, María Auxiliadora Llamas Márquez
Building and reconstructing contexts. Interdisciplinary approach to the enhancement of Phoenician-Punic archaeological elements exhibited in the Museum of Cádiz (SW, Spain)

We present here the knowledge transfer project that we are currently developing as a result of the collaboration between the University of Cádiz and the Provincial Archaeological Museum. The main objective is the virtual reconstruction of certain archaeological contexts of a Phoenician nature documented in the city of Cádiz, with the aim of making them directly accessible to the general public. Employing an interdisciplinary approach, we begin by taking reliable reconstructive hypotheses from a historical-archaeological point of view and transforming them into scientifically cross-checked 3D environments. Within them are incorporated three-dimensional models of the most representative Phoenician-Punic archaeological pieces that are on display in the Museum s Colonisations Room. Finally, all the information generated by the virtual reconstruction process will be included in the Museum s museography and didactic discourse.

Page 8 of 936 Results 71 - 80 of 9356