Use of vegetative remains in the identification of dyeplants from waterlogged 9th–10th century AD deposits at York

Vegetative remains of four dyeplants (Rubia tinctorum L., Genista tinctoria L., Diphasium complanatum (L.) Rothm. and Isatis tinctoria L.) found in 9th–10th century deposits at York, are described in detail. A fifth species (Reseda luteola L.), so far only found as seeds, is also described.     

From Byzantine to post-Byzantine art: the painting technique of St Stephen's wall paintings at Meteora,Greece

The old katholikon of St Stephen's monastery at the Meteora (site of the most important complex of monasteries in Greece after Mount Athos) is decorated with wall paintings that date from the beginning of 17th century. In terms of style, the artistic ensemble is altogether characteristic of the period. The painting technique has been examined by means of μRaman and μFTIR spectroscopies, gas chromatography–mass spectroscopy (GC/MS), optical microscopy (OM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).     

Identification of ancient textiles from Yingpan,Xinjiang, by multiple analytical techniques

Various extraordinary textiles were excavated from a graveyard at Yingpan, Xinjiang, on the middle route of the ancient Silk Road. Applications of western motifs and designs to traditional Chinese textiles led to the emergence of compound woven textiles with central Asian characters. For a better understanding of the cultural exchanges and textile trade between the West and the East in ancient times, identifications of archaeological fibres and dyes were carried out for various funerary textile objects by using multiple analytical techniques, such as high performance liquid chromatography with photodiode detection, optical microscopy, scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). Fibre identifications were performed for 35 archaeological textile samples, and the results showed that the ancient textiles were mostly made from Bombyx mori silk and wool. The SEM and FT-IR experimental results revealed that these ancient textiles remained morphologically intact due to the special (very dry) climate in Xinjiang, but noticeably degraded at the molecular level due to long time thermo-ageing and/or biodegradation. The principal colouring matters, such as alizarin, purpurin, indigotin and luteolin, were respectively characterised for nine archaeological textile samples. The yellow dyestuffs derived from luteolin-based plants were assumed to have been imported to China from the Middle East and Western Asia through the Silk Road.     

NEW EVIDENCE FOR EARLY SILK IN THE INDUS CIVILIZATION*

Silk is an important economic fibre, and is generally considered to have been the exclusive cultural heritage of China. Silk weaving is evident from the Shang period c. 1600–1045 bc , though the earliest evidence for silk textiles in ancient China may date to as much as a millennium earlier. Recent microscopic analysis of archaeological thread fragments found inside copper‐alloy ornaments from Harappa and steatite beads from Chanhu‐daro, two important Indus sites, have yielded silk fibres, dating to c. 2450–2000 bc . This study offers the earliest evidence in the world for any silk outside China, and is roughly contemporaneous with the earliest Chinese evidence for silk. This important new finding brings into question the traditional historical notion of sericulture as being an exclusively Chinese invention.     

Isotope sourcing of prehistoric willow and tule textiles recovered from western Great Basin rock shelters and caves – proof of concept

Isotope and trace-metal analyses were used to determine the origin of plants used to manufacture prehistoric textiles (basketry and matting) from archaeological sites in the western Great Basin. Research focused on strontium (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr) and oxygen (¹⁸O/¹⁶O) isotope ratios of willow (Salix sp.) and tule (Schoenoplectus sp.), the dominant raw materials in Great Basin textiles. The oxygen-isotope data indicated that the willow and tule used to produce the textiles were harvested from the banks of rivers or in marshes characterized by flowing water and not from lakes or sinks. The strontium-isotope data were useful in showing which plants came from the Humboldt River and which came from rivers headed in the Sierra Nevada.     

Characterization of dyes in ancient textiles from Yingpan,Xinjiang

In this paper we analyzed the natural dyes in well-preserved, ancient textiles from Yingpan, an important archaeological site on the Silk Road, using high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array and mass spectrometric detection. Dyes were removed from textile fibers using a soft extraction method (pyridine, water and oxalic acid). Two species of madder-type plants, Rubia tinctorum and Rubia cordifolia were identified as the dye sources in red and brown samples. We also were able to detect unusual flavonoid glycosides in yellow and green woolen yarns, although we have not been able to pinpoint with certainty a specific plant that may have been used to produce this dye(s). On the other hand, we found that yellow and green silk threads had been colored with protoberberine-type dyes, probably obtained from species of cork tree, Phellodendron spp., and/or other protoberberine producing plant. We propose that the textile dyes found at Yingpan reflect a merging of Eastern and Western practices and technologies during the 800-year period (206 BCE–618 CE) encompassing the early years of the Silk Road.     

新疆帕米尔吉尔赞喀勒拜火教墓地出土纺织品分析检测

受中国社会科学院考古所新疆考古队委托,纺织品文物保护国家文物局重点科研基地(中国丝绸博物馆)对新疆帕米尔吉尔赞喀勒拜火教墓地出土纺织品进行分析检测。采用形貌观测、高效液相色谱质谱联用技术、组织结构观测等方法对样本进行了纤维鉴别、染料测试、组织结构分析,从中发现的纤维品种包括桑蚕丝、毛,染料品种包括西茜草、靛青、黄檗等,织物品种包括毛罽、编织物、绢等。结合历史考古资料对上述分析检测结果进行解读,大量的毛纺织品表明在距今2500年前的帕米尔高原,纺织品具有明显的西域当地性,而具有典型汉文化特色的桑蚕丝和黄檗体现了与中原地区的文化和技术交流。     

The Byzantine wall paintings from the Protaton Church on Mount Athos,Greece: tradition and science

The present work is a study of the wall painting complex in the Protaton Church (1295) on Mount Athos, Greece. These paintings, high in artistic value, are themselves a monument—representative of the Macedonian iconographic style. What follows is historic data set against the results of analytical investigations: the fruit of extensive research aimed at determining precise details about the applied painting techniques for the wall paintings. Hitherto it has been held that what was traditionally defined as “Byzantine fresco” was executed only on wet plaster with limewater as the sole binding medium. Now, however, through the application of instrumental analytical investigations, it is possible to demonstrate that a mixed technique involving both al fresco and al secco was employed. Furthermore, it was determined, on the basis of results from gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC/MS), that egg together with a modest amount of animal glue were the organic binding media used for the Protaton art work. It is certain that the scenes were initially begun on wet plaster. During or even after drying the painting was completed using the aforementioned protein binding media, thanks to which a more resistant cohesion to the painted layers was secured.     

新疆山普拉墓地出土金线结构形貌与材质特征研究

山普拉墓地出土的珍贵纺织品与新疆其他古墓葬群出土的纺织品一样,是研究世界古代纺织史、丝绸之路物质文化交流的重要标本,承载着人类社会发展极其重要的历史、文化、科技价值。为研究古代纺织品的用金技术,以新疆和田洛浦县山普拉墓地出土金线为研究对象,借助光学显微镜和扫描电镜对金线的形貌进行显微观察,以揭示金线及其芯线的结构特征,获取了金线相关几何尺寸等信息。同时结合能谱仪分析,对金线的成分进行检测,获得了金线合金中各元素的比例。本研究结果可为中国古代纺织品的用金技术研究提供科学依据,并且期冀通过今后逐步积累的大量金线分析数据能够揭示出中国较早时期纺织品用金技术的起源及其发展脉络。     

Book reviews

Abstract

This paper explores the decision-making process for heritage management at the monastic community of Mount Athos, a World Heritage Site in Northern Greece, in relation to the concept of living religious heritage and the pursuit to balance the heritage values of both the experts (heritage professionals) and the non-experts. The function and impact of a specific heritage agency — KEDAK (Centre for the Preservation of Athonite Heritage) — designed to establish the decision-making power of the Athonite monasteries will be critically discussed. A range of interesting compromising solutions and some challenges and problems raised by the function of this agency will serve as the background for examining the extent to which different perceptions on heritage management can coexist, particularly when heritage professionals find themselves on the bottom of a top-down decision-making process.     

Analytical study of Roman and Arabic wall paintings in the Patio De Banderas of Reales Alcazares’ Palace using non-destructive XRD/XRF and complementary techniques

A portable XRD/XRF system and complementary laboratory techniques were employed to improve the knowledge of the procedures used to create Roman and Arabic wall paintings. Integrated physico-chemical investigations were conducted on fragments of artworks collected from the archaeological excavation of the Patio de Banderas in the Reales Alcazares’ Palace of Seville (Spain), and a comparative study on the pigments from both historical periods was performed. As a result, pigments such as vermilion, red ochre, yellow ochre, green earth, Egyptian blue, carbon and phosphor-based black pigments were detected in Roman samples; however, in the Arabic fragments, only haematite was observed. In addition, the size and shape of the particles of the wall paintings were studied with an XRD 2-dimensional detector and SEM-EDX.     

A comprehensive numerical chronology for the pre-Columbian cultures of the Palpa valleys,south coast of Peru

Before the arrival of the Spaniards in Peru in 1532, many different societies flourished in the coastal desert of southern Peru. Of these, one of the best known is the Nasca culture (living in the area between about 260 cal BC and 640 cal BC.), which created the famous geoglyphs on the desert floor. In this paper we present a numerical chronology for the cultural development in the valleys of Palpa, in the northern part of the Nazca region, which spans the time from the Archaic Period (starting there around 3760 cal BC) to the Late Intermediate Period (terminating with the arrival of the Spaniards in 1532 AD). The chronology is based on more than 150 ¹⁴C samples collected by our project from well-documented archaeological excavations of 17 different sites in and around Palpa. Thanks to the advanced AMS-¹⁴C dating technique, demanding only few milligrams of organic material, we could focus on samples of plants, like beans, corn, or reed, representing single years of growth or use, and also on delicate materials like straw from clay bricks (adobe) and textiles. All single ¹⁴C dates were combined to cultural phases using a Bayesian statistical model, implementing the a priori information of the archaeological contexts, and adopting the relative ceramic chronologies available for this area.     

天然染料苏木的光褪色机理研究

有机质文物如书画和纺织品在修复保护过程中常常遇到褪色问题,对于染料分子是一种不可逆的损伤,因此有必要采用一定的科学方法对原因机理进行研究。苏木在文化遗产领域常作为天然染料用于纺织品染色,但色牢度较差。通过溶液动力学模拟实验借助紫外光老化过程推测降解副产物,追踪了对曾经在文物中检测到的有效化学组分巴西苏木素和原苏木素B在N,N-二甲基甲酰胺基质里光催化老化代谢过程,分别获得20组不同老化程度的紫外老化的标准品。实验表征手段主要采用紫外可见漫反射光谱、超高效液相色谱四极杆飞行时间质谱联用及核磁共振氢谱对颜色变化趋势和老化过程进行分析。通过苏木染色及丝织品光老化实验,得到17组不同褪色程度的纺织品样品。采用液质联用在负离子模式下结合化学计量学统计分析差异代谢物及老化机制,巴西苏木素、苏木红素及原苏木素B可能的转化及降解产物分别得到一定的推论。结果显示褪色纺织品随着光老化的发生反射光谱最大波长总体发生蓝移。巴西苏木素季碳羟基容易发生脱水反应产生一系列变化,原苏木素B光老化过程容易转化成原苏木素C、尿石素C等化合物。苏木染褪色纺织品总体可分为两类组间差异,通过主成分分析出差异代谢物巴西苏木素、原苏木素B以及C等多种老化产物,这些总体因素造成体系的光老化颜色变化。这些探索性发现期待为今后天然染料的相关研究提供启发,助力提升有机质文物的科学价值认知。     

Two Cambridge Orientalists on Athos

Abstract

This essay considers the accounts of Athos by Joseph Dacre Carlyle, who visited Athos in 1801, and by John Palmer who was there four years later. The men were successive holders of the chair of Arabic at Cambridge. The study examines some of their impressions of Athos and compares their experiences with the well-known account of Philip Hunt who was Carlyle's travelling companion. Appendices give tables of the numbers of monks in the Athonite houses; Palmer's expenses; and a brief discussion of some related documents.     

古代丝织品的丝素蛋白加固保护

目前采用一般的物理加固和化学加固方法对脆弱丝织品进行保护存在着一定的缺陷和限制,为此,本工作利用与丝织品具有同源性和亲和性的丝素蛋白对清代丝织品进行加固保护。清代丝织品在丝素蛋白浓度为1.0%、戊二醛浓度为0.005%、浸渍时间(T1)为40min、浸渍时间(T2)为60min的较优工艺条件下,断裂强力从5.22N提高到10.68N,断裂伸长率从3.24%提高到4.12%,硬挺度略有改变,提高了0.08×10-2mN.m。同时,利用FT-IR、TG和SEM等对加固前后清代丝织品的结构进行了表征。实验结果显示,利用丝素蛋白加固丝织品文物是一种有效的方法,在提高古代丝织品强度的同时,不对丝织品的外观与手感造成影响。     

Hemp in ancient rope and fabric from the Christmas Cave in Israel: talmudic background and DNA sequence identification

The “Christmas Cave”, a cave in the Qidron Valley near the Dead Sea and Qumran, has yielded a complex collection of plant-derived rope and fabric artifacts. Using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to amplify DNA of the samples, we estimated the sizes and determined restriction patterns and base sequences of chloroplast genes, primarily rbcL (gene for the large subunit of ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase). DNA was successfully extracted from all samples, but was limited to sizes of approximately 200–300 base pairs. As expected, the DNA extracted from the samples was identified as coming primarily from flax (Linum usitatissamum L.), but two samples had a significant fraction, and all samples had at least a trace, of hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) DNA. Artifacts from the Christmas Cave were thought to date from Roman times, but it was thought possible that some could be much older. Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS)-based ¹⁴C dating confirmed that the samples contained representatives from both the Roman and Chalcolithic periods. This paper provides a synthesis of DNA, isotope, and literary analysis to illuminate textile history at the Christmas Cave site.     

Recent analyses of the excavated textile find from Grave 35 HTR73, Kerameikos cemetery,Athens, Greece

The following study presents the results of instrumental analyses performed on the excavated textile find HTR73 from the Kerameikos cemetery in Athens. In Greece, preservation of excavated textiles is rare, mainly due to the unfavourable environmental conditions prevailing. The Kerameikos textile find is from the 5th century BC, and has been preserved in association with copper, which is the most common type of preservation in Greece. Past analyses had indicated the presence of silk fibres, of the Bombyx mori silkworm, the use of which was not common in Classical Greece. In the present study, non-destructive instrumental analytical techniques were applied, namely ESEM and FTIR microspectroscopy, for the purpose of material identification. None of the techniques applied confirmed the presence of silk. However, cellulosic bast and possibly cotton fibres were identified. The presence of cotton is an equally rare phenomenon for the Classical period in Greece.     

模拟古代丝织品上天然染料剥色研究

剥色是古代纺织品染料分析的第一步。如何选择合适的剥色方法和试剂是做好染料分析研究的基础。为此,本研究在已有研究的基础上,以模拟古代染色样品及其老化样品为对象,对染料剥色方法和试剂进行了实验研究。本研究采用古代常用的九种植物染料苏木、茜草、紫草、栀子、槐花、姜黄、黄柏、五倍子/栗壳靛蓝对现代丝绸用古代方法模拟染色。选取DMF、乙酸、甲醇、乙醇、丙酮、乙酸乙酯、石油醚、2%碳酸氢钠（pH=10）、盐酸/甲醇/水(2:1:1) （括号中为体积比,下同）、3M盐酸/甲醇 (1:1) 和10%硫酸/乙酸乙酯（1:1）等溶剂对各种染色丝绸进行剥色实验。此外,对染色后的丝绸进行老化,并将其与未老化的样品做剥色对比研究。结果表明,盐酸/甲醇/水、DMF、乙酸的剥色效果好,但盐酸/甲醇/水体系丝纤维水解严重。苏木、茜草、紫草、栀子、姜黄、黄柏染色丝绸用甲醇/水、10%硫酸/乙酸乙酯、2%碳酸氢钠剥色均有一定效果,姜黄和黄柏染色丝绸也可以用乙醇和水剥色。媒染染色丝绸用EDTA/DMF的无损方法剥色效果好。五倍子和栗壳丝绸用水或70%乙醇剥色效果好,靛蓝丝绸用吡啶、吡啶/水、DMF、乙酸剥色效果好。热老化丝绸上色素发生了一定程度的氧化和交联作用,剥色效果不如未老化的纤维。如果剥色试剂不符合后续分析的要求可以用蒸干重新溶解或者萃取的方法。