This paper discusses new advances in heritage site monitoring using a geo-spatial method for assessing the state of preservation of earthen architecture overtime as a preventive conservation measure. The proposed method leverages a comprehensive (quantitative-qualitative) approach that gathers multitemporal data including environmental information collected by means of environmental loggers, qualitative vulnerability assessment of mud-brick walls, and surface change detection information obtained by comparing terrestrial laser scanning point cloud capturing the decay of building's wall features over time. Producing a detailed spatial understanding of the conservation issues that affect mudbrick walls in large earthen sites, this method can be used by conservators to rapidly identify which buildings require immediate intervention and lay the basis for future evaluation of the conservation actions undertaken. To test the effectiveness of the proposed geospatial model in producing a comprehensive view of the environmental risk and pattern of decay that affect mudbrick structures, this paper presents analyses and results obtained in a six-year study at Çatalhöyük, Turkey. Our results Campiani et al. 2019-Author Version 2 corroborate the effectiveness of the proposed method and prove that it can be successfully employed to create preventive conservation measures at other earthen sites inside and outside the Near East.
Preventive conservation at archaeological sites includes a broad range of measures, aimed at passively mitigating deterioration. Measures such as defining significance, risk management, documentation, understanding the depositional environment and monitoring changes, the use of covers and shelters, emergency preparedness, and site management are briefly discussed. Incorporating preventative measures in a collaborative multidisciplinary approach creates the foundation for extending the useable life of a site and its values.
The cultural use of pigments in human societies is associated with ritual activities and the creation of social memory. Neolithic Çatalhöyük (Turkey, 7100–5950 cal BC) provides a unique case study for the exploration of links between pigments in burials, demographic data and colourants in contemporary architectural contexts. This study presents the first combined analysis of funerary and architectural evidence of pigment use in Neolithic Anatolia and discusses the possible social processes underlying the observed statistical patterns. Results reveal that pigments were either applied directly to the deceased or included in the grave as a burial association. The most commonly used pigment was red ochre. Cinnabar was mainly applied to males and blue/green pigment was associated with females. A correlation was found between the number of buried individuals and the number of painted layers in the buildings. Mortuary practices seem to have followed specific selection processes independent of sex and age-at-death of the deceased. This study offers new insights about the social factors involved in pigment use in this community, and contributes to the interpretation of funerary practices in Neolithic Anatolia. Specifically, it suggests that visual expression, ritual performance and symbolic associations were elements of shared long-term socio-cultural practices.
Archaeological burial contexts may include a variety of white substances, but few analyses have been published. This study reports on the physico-chemical characterization of such residues from seven archaeological sites. It is often assumed that white materials from burial contexts are lime. Our findings demonstrate that they can be gypsum, calcite (chalk), aragonite, brushite, degraded metal, natural (gum) resins or synthetic polymer-based products. These may be present as the result of diagenetic processes, funerary practices or modern contamination. This paper provides an analytical approach for the holistic investigation of white materials encountered in burial contexts.
shows that the region is rich in lead, iron, copper, and mercury oxide sources (Bahar 2018). While there are a few instances of cinnabar and red ochre mixed together on wall paintings from Neolithic Çatalhöyük (Çamurcuoğlu 2015; Doherty 2017), cinnabar seems mainly concentrated on human crania from a small number of burials (see below).The site also revealed blue azurite Cu 3 (CO 3 ) 2 (OH) 2 (fig. 2) and green malachite Cu 2 CO 3 (OH) 2. , both mainly encountered in burial contexts but much less common than red pigment. Both pigments form as secondary minerals in the upper oxidised zones of copper ore deposits and are always found together in nature (Eastaugh et al. 2008).Black pigments at the site were derived from carbon black, representing shades from black to blue and brown in color, obtained by burning animal bones, fat, and woody plant material (Çamurcuoğlu 2015). Black was intentionally used on the wall paintings at Çatalhöyük. Charred inclusions were also commonly found in the burial fills, but the pigment's intentional inclusion in these deposits is debatable.Finally, white pigments were derived from calcium carbonate in various forms. The most common natural form of calcium carbonate is calcite. It occurs mainly in sedimentary rocks like chalk and limestone, in metamorphic rocks like marble, and occasionally in igneous rocks (Gettens, FitzHugh, and Feller 1974). The white plasters of Çatalhöyük are a significant aspect of the color palette of the site used on the walls and floors of buildings, and occasionally in burials (for an overview see Schotsmans et al. in press; Vasić, Knüsel, and Haddow in press).
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