Tabia is one of the most widely used construction materials in ancient China. In this work, the tabia samples from three coastal defense fort sites at Zhejiang Province, China, we analyzed to determine their component composition and physiochemical properties. The results show that these tabia samples exhibited high compressive strength, which could be as high as 4–9 MPa. Furthermore, the systematic analysis demonstrated that the high compressive strength was related to the following factors: 1) a suitable mass ratio of sand, lime, and clay; 2) an appropriate sand particle size ratio; and 3) the formation of hydrated calcium silicate (C-S-H). Moreover, sticky rice was also detected in the tabia samples. These findings are fundamentally important, which could be beneficial to further study of the craftsmanship of the coastal defense forts and could further provide essential guidance for the protection and restoration of the tabia relics.

The analysis of historical materials is an essential component of cultural heritage conservation. Protein was one of the most important and pervasive organic substances in ancient human societies. Through the qualitative and quantitative examination of protein-based materials, it is possible to clarify their source and functions of substances in cultural heritages, investigate the manufacturing technology of cultural heritage, and identify their deterioration mechanism. On the basis of these analyses, corresponding measurements are therefore feasible. Currently, mass spectrometry, chromatography, spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic, proteomics, and immunoassay are used to analyse protein materials. Proteomics techniques and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technology are two of the most common methods for detecting ancient proteins. This article discusses the evolution of protein component detection in ancient materials, as well as the implementation of proteomics and ELISA techniques for the analysis of proteins. In addition, the characteristics of these two techniques were contrasted in order to propose the most recent analytical techniques and the direction of future research.

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