The Improved Lns Pixe‐Alpha Portable System: Archaeometric Applications*

The possibilities presented by the improved portable PIXE system are discussed. Examples are given of applications in the cultural heritage field, and in particular in the characterization of pigments and silver patina on ancient Roman coins. The limitations of the system are also discussed.     

Pigments and Plasters Discovered in the House of Diana (Cosa,Grosseto, Italy): An Integrated Study Between Art History,Archaeology and Scientific Analyses*

The pigments and the plasters of the Roman frescoes discovered at the House of Diana (Cosa, Grosseto, Italy) were analysed using non‐destructive and destructive mineralogical and chemical techniques. The characterization of both pigments and plasters was performed through optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and electron microprobe analysis. The pigments were identified by Raman spectroscopy and submitted to stable isotope analysis. The results were integrated with the archaeological data in order to determine and reconstruct the provenance, trade patterns and the employment of the raw materials used for the elaboration of the frescoes.     

THE IMPACT OF SOLUBLE SALTS ON THE DETERIORATION OF PHARAONIC AND COPTIC WALL PAINTINGS AT AL QURNA,EGYPT: MINERALOGY AND CHEMISTRY*

The wall paintings of Al Qurna in Egypt were studied by means of XRD and ICP–AES in order to determine their mineralogical and chemical composition, and to evaluate the impact of soluble salts on their deterioration, including the identification of the building materials and pigments used. Soluble salts analysis showed that NaCl is the most common soluble salt in the bedrock, ground water and surface water samples. The building materials are affected by the ground water, while the wall paintings in the area are affected by the Upper Egypt climatic conditions, which were studied in order to detect their role in the deterioration cycle in the area.     

DECORATED ARCHAIC POTTERY FROM THE HERACLES SANCTUARY AT THEBES: A MATERIALS,TECHNOLOGY AND PROVENANCE STUDY*

Forty‐seven decorated samples of Archaic pottery excavated at a Heracles sanctuary (Thebes, Boeotia) were studied through a combined surface and body approach, using non‐destructive techniques. Most of the samples were archaeologically classified as Theban/Boeotian, others as Corinthian and a few as possibly Euboean. The techniques employed were optical microscopy and SEM–EDAX (micromorphology and compositional analysis of the surfaces) and XRF for the analysis of the ceramic body. The results provided information on the technological level of the collected pottery as well as on the relation of the chemistry and micromorphology of the pigments, aimed at assisting provenance studies.     

PREHISTORIC WALL PAINTINGS: THE CASE OF THE DOMUS DE JANAS NECROPOLIS (SARDINIA,ITALY)*

The Domus de Janas (Home of the Fairies, or Home of the Witches) are Neolithic hypogea located throughout Sardinia (Italy) and decorated with red and black wall paintings. The objective of this study was to define the painting technique through the analytical characterization of the pigments and binding media. Samples of painting film from different graves have been examined by means of various analytical techniques. XRD, Raman and SEM–EDX analyses identified the red and black pigments respectively as red ochre rich in hematite and carbon black, while GC–MS analyses characterized the organic binder as egg.     

NEUTRON ACTIVATION PATTERNING OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL MATERIALS AT THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH ‘DEMOKRITOS’: THE CASE OF BLACK‐ON‐RED NEOLITHIC POTTERY FROM MACEDONIA,GREECE

A short history of the application of NAA in the characterization of archaeological materials at the National Center for Scientific Research ‘Demokritos’, Athens, is presented. NAA was first applied in archaeology in 1974 at the Radioanalytical Laboratory, and since 1989 has been one of the primary analytical techniques of the ‘Demokritos’ archaeometry programme. A case study is also presented, concerning chemical patterning of the black‐on‐red Neolithic pottery class from Macedonia. Four chemical groups were identified, each corresponding to a different area of production. It is shown that this standardized concept of pottery technology and style was spread out within at least eastern Macedonia.     

Chemical Analysis of 17th‐century Red Glass Trade Beads from Northeastern North America and Amsterdam

Seventeenth‐century opaque red (redwood) glass trade beads of different shapes and sizes were made of mixed alkali (mainly soda)–lime glasses and were coloured with Cu, presumably as cuprous oxide or as finely dispersed elemental Cu. During the early 17th century, beads of all shapes were opacified with Sn; cored beads, with uncoloured cores and hence lower Cu levels, also tended to have slightly lower Sn contents than uncored beads. By the mid‐17th century, cored tubular beads were being opacified with a combination of Sn and Sb, a technological change similar to that observed in white glass trade beads, while uncored redwood beads appear not to have been opacified with either Sn or Sb. Bead chemistries are sufficiently different to allow them to be sorted into subgroups, which may then be tracked in various archaeological sites and regions.     

ON SOME PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF CHINESE AND EUROPEAN RED WARES

When in the seventeenth and eighteenth century Chinese red ware from Yixing was imported into Europe, imitations of that ware, some of them delusively similar to the originals, were made in the Netherlands, Saxony, and England. With non-destructive energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence analysis (ED-XFA) the Chinese and different European red wares can be easily separated by comparing the patterns of their calcium oxide, manganese oxide, and lead contents. They also have density characteristics of their own.     

THE OPAQUE RED GLASS OF CELTIC ENAMELS FROM CONTINENTAL EUROPE

Opaque red glass was used in the Celtic world for enamels and inlays. Forty artefacts, of various dates and found in various places, have been sampled and studied. They all belong to the same type, a soda-lime-silica high lead glass coloured by crystals of cuprous oxide. There is only one subgroup: glass lumps from the Mont-Beuvray oppidum contain manganese, less iron, and less lead. This change could be the result of Roman influence. Although most of these glasses form a surprisingly homogeneous group, no conclusions as to their origin can be inferred from our present knowledge.