Archaeometric investigation of Roman tesserae from Herculaneum (Italy) by the combined use of complementary micro-destructive analytical techniques

Vitreous tesserae from two mosaics in Herculaneum (Italy) dating from the 1st century AD have been investigated in order to gather information on Imperial Age opaque glass. The combined use of complementary micro-destructive analytical techniques, namely optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS), inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) allowed to define the nature of formers, fluxes, chromophores and opacifying compounds and to determine the type of raw materials employed for their introduction. The results confirmed the high technological level of Imperial Age glassmakers and clarified some details of the production processes. Experimental data have been obtained concerning formation of antimony-based opacifiers. The presence of tin-containing Ca- and Pb-antimonates has been ascertained in various green, yellow and turquoise tesserae. Moreover, unusual divergences from the established Roman age ‘low magnesia–low potash’ (LMLK) glass composition have been found for some red and green samples.     

Composite hunting technologies from the Terminal Pleistocene and Early Holocene,Niah Cave,Borneo

Renewed archaeological investigation of the West Mouth of Niah Cave, Borneo has demonstrated that even within lowland equatorial environments depositional conditions do exist where organic remains of late glacial and early post-glacial age can be preserved. Excavations by the Niah Cave Research Project (NCP) (2000–2003) towards the rear of the archaeological reserve produced several bone points and worked stingray spines, which exhibit evidence of hafting mastic and fibrous binding still adhering to their shafts. The position of both gives strong indication of how these cartilaginous points were hafted and gives insight into their potential function. These artefacts were recovered from secure and ¹⁴C dated stratigraphic horizons. The results of this study have implications for our understanding the function of the Terminal Pleistocene and Early Holocene bone tools recovered from other regions of Island Southeast Asia. They demonstrate that by the end the Pleistocene rainforest foragers in Borneo were producing composite technologies that probably included fishing leisters and potentially the bow and arrow.     

杭州文庙彩绘现场保护研究

杭州文庙彩绘被清漆层覆盖,1988年涂覆的清漆已有发黄、鼓泡等老化现象。本文通过老化试验说明清漆已经进入了全面老化期,并且描述清漆老化对彩绘安全的危害。对彩绘颜料和清漆进行了取样分析,经过EDS检测,证明颜料主要成分是无机矿物。经过红外分析,证明清漆主要成分是多羟基丙烯酸聚合物。在文物保护现场,通过研究清漆老化程度和光照度之间的关系,证明光照是清漆老化的重要原因。在实验室研究出去除清漆而不伤及彩绘的溶胀剂,在现场通过测试色差和光泽度数值的变化,证明溶胀剂去除清漆的有效性。彩绘封护剂采用有机氟橡胶,通过接触角和耐湿热试验,证明有机氟橡胶具有较好的憎水性和耐湿热老化能力。同时在现场,通过彩绘保护前后的色差和光泽度变化,说明经过机氟橡胶保护处理过的彩绘,外观没有明显的变化。     

氟橡胶成膜物封护青铜试片的研究

为研究氟橡胶材料对青铜器物的封护性能,用氟橡胶、B72、单组分氟碳(KL)、有机硅玻璃丙烯酸树脂(硅丙)为主成分配成不同配比的试剂制备各种封护剂.对青铜试片封护后进行耐盐雾、耐二氧化硫、耐湿热、紫外老化、接触角测定、极化曲线、交流阻抗及抗压强度实验,比对封护性能.结果表明:单一成分氟橡胶溶液在超过半数的实验中表现最佳,含氟橡胶的单一和混合溶液整体优于其它材料.     

一批中国古代镶嵌玻璃珠化学成分的检测报告

结合外束质子激发X荧光（proton induced X-ray emission,PIXE）和能量色散X射线荧光（energy dispersive X-ray emission,EDXRF）分析技术,对中国新疆、湖北、四川、广东出土的古代镶嵌玻璃珠的化学成分进行了检测.结果表明：新疆拜城克孜尔墓地出土的西周-春秋时期镶嵌玻璃珠为CaO-MgO-SiO2玻璃,战国时期中国境内的PbO-BaO-SiO2和Na2O-CaO-SiO2镶嵌玻璃珠是同时存在的.本文亦对相关问题进行了一些讨论,并提出了部分今后的工作建议.     

The coloured glass of Iulia Felix

Research on the cargo of glass in the Roman ship Iulia Felix, wrecked off the town of Grado (province of Udine, North Italy) in the first half of the 3rd century AD and composed of recycling cullet carefully selected for colour and type, provided much information on Roman glass production technology. A combined approach, involving analytical, statistical, and archaeological evidence, included chemical analyses (X-ray fluorescence, electron microprobe), which indicated that the coloured samples were all soda-lime-silica in composition, with natron as flux, although cluster analysis identified many compositional groups. Comparisons among the compositional groups of the colourless glass, previously studied, and those of coloured glass showed that the production technologies of the colourless glass vessels constitute two well-defined technological end-members, also related to group types, into which those of the coloured glass samples fall. In particular, coloured glass samples—all bottles, low-status vessels—were produced with mainly beach siliceous-feldspar-calcareous sand. However, unlike the colourless type, strict control of raw materials and decolourising processes was not adopted, and recycling was also practised, as demonstrated by the Sb₂O₃, Cu and Pb patterns. In this context, a “recycling index” (RI)—[(Sb₂O₃)_X/(Sb₂O₃)_Ref] * 100—is proposed here for the first time, in order to quantify the extent of recycling of antimony colourless glass in the batch. RI is valid for glass containing abundant Sb from an end-member of colourless glass. In conclusion, although it cannot be stated unequivocally that the identified compositional trends are related to different production centres or different raw materials, the strong evidence of compositional variability among all the Iulia Felix glass samples, both colourless and coloured, supports the dispersed production model for Roman glassware and the common practice of recycling in Roman imperial times, especially for low-status vessels.     

广西越州故城遗址玻璃珠饰的科学研究

本研究利用能量色散型X射线荧光光谱分析、共聚焦激光拉曼光谱分析、光学相干层析成像、超景深光学显微观测等多种方法对广西越州故城遗址出土的印度-太平洋玻璃珠饰进行科技分析,获取了玻璃珠的化学成分、物相结构、内部物理结构、表面显微形貌等综合物理化学信息,确定了玻璃珠的玻璃体系、制作工艺(着色工艺、成形工艺)和产地来源,探讨了以丝绸之路为主线的国内发现魏晋南北朝时期印度-太平洋玻璃珠可能的输入路线。广西越州故城遗址发现的印度-太平洋玻璃珠为中外文明交流提供了新实物证据,对深入研究我国南北朝时期中外文明交流具有十分重要的学术价值和研究意义。     

热裂解-气相色谱/质谱在文化遗产研究中的应用进展

色谱和质谱联用技术是有机物常用的一种分析方法,在文物保护与考古残留物研究等方面的应用已有几十年的发展。色谱与质谱联用分析样品时,需要对样品进行水解提取、衍生化等前处理,这个过程较繁琐,且耗时长,另外在样品处理过程中还有样品流失的情况发生。因此,现在一般采用热裂解-气相色谱/质谱联用技术(pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry,Py-GC/MS)来分析有机质样品。Py-GC/MS在分析样品时有如下优势:无需对样品进行前处理,样品可直接进行热裂解分析,操作比较简单;灵敏度高,能实现多组分混合有机样品识别;需要样品量很少,可满足文物样品微损分析检测的要求。因此,该方法在文化遗产保护和考古有机残留物识别鉴定中发挥了重要的作用。     

天津博物馆文物库房部分文物与囊匣中霉菌的分离与鉴定

馆藏文物中的书画、古籍、档案、纺织品和竹木漆器等有机质文物,常常受到霉菌的破坏。为了解文物库房有机质文物中霉菌病害现状,寻找适合的防治方法,利用显微形态观察和分子生物学方法,对四个库房内文物材料与囊匣上滋生的霉菌进行采样、培养、分离和鉴定。实验分离出的14株菌株通过形态观察和分子生物学鉴定为6个属,包括毛壳菌属(Chaetomium)、畸枝霉属(Malbranchea)、曲霉属(Aspergillus)、派伦霉属(Peyronellaea)和枝孢属(Cladosporium)等,其中毛壳菌属数量最多,曲霉属次之,多数为能对文物产生危害的常见菌种,亟待采取有效防治措施。实验结果可为今后霉菌的防治工作提供依据。     

基于多元统计分析方法对一批中国南方和西南地区的古玻璃成分的研究

采用多元统计方法对四川、重庆、贵州、广西、广东地区出土的100余个古玻璃样品的化学成分数据进行了分析处理。结果表明:中国南方和西南地区的古玻璃制品主要由具有中国特色的铅钡硅酸盐玻璃和钾硅酸盐玻璃组成,可细分为五大系统类别:K2O CaO(~10wt%)SiO2系统、K2O SiO2系统、PbO BaO SiO2系统、PbO(~25wt%)BaO SiO2系统、CaO PbO(~40wt%)BaO SiO2系统。用因子分析探讨了我国汉代南方和西南地区的玻璃本地生产情况,表明该地区在汉代已经拥有自主生产古玻璃的能力。实验结果和实验数据处理方法对研究古代丝绸之路上古玻璃的生产和技术交流提供了新途径。