The compartment of Philip Arrhidaeus is one of the most significant Roman landmarks in Karnak Temple. It is exposed to various damage factors. For example, ground water is rising in the study area, causing serious damage to granite used in the compartment Granite was variously used in Ancient Egypt, both in statues and obelisks. Samples were collected to study their mineral and chemical composition using polarized microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Xray fluorescence, and scanning electron microscope. Finally, results showed the source of granite, mechanical damage, and the proposed treatment.

The present study investigates for the first time the historical bricks of The Red Monastery (west Sohag, Egypt), built about fifth century AD, which showing several aspects of brick decay. Several techniques were employed (geochemical, petrographical, mineralogical and morphological) to determine their deterioration features and provenance of the raw material as well as shed lights on the firing techniques. In addition, integration of geochemical data with multivariate statistics (i.e. Cluster Analysis, Principal Component Analyses and Linear Discriminant Analyses) were used to provide insights into the nature and provenance of the raw material. Potential geological raw materials for bricks manufacturing, were taken from modern floodplain (Nile alluvium) and calcareous clay deposits from lowland desert near the monument site, and subjected to chemical analyses, to compare them with the chemical composition of the studied bricks. Results show that the starting raw materials for bricks were probably obtained by mixing Nile alluvium (quarried from the Nile River floodplain deposits) with the possible introduction of a calcium carbonate-rich flux component as a temper. This will provide guidelines for future conservation strategy for making new compatible and durable bricks and/or materials to be utilized for restoration, and contributes to the preservation of the historical masonry under study.

No abstract

Ramses III's temple contains many kinds of decay. Therefore, the current study investigates different deterioration phenomena and mechanisms of alteration which lead to sandstone decay. It also creates conditions in the laboratory similar to those of the temple to be compared to the deterioration environment of Ramses III's temple. Different scientific methods were adopted, such as EDX attached with SEM, XRD and PLM. Results show that there are many types of deterioration in the sandstone. For example, the samples reported the presence of sulphate and chloride in crystalline phase, e.g. anhydrate and dehydrate calcium sulphate (Thenardite), Na 2 SO 4 , CaSO 4 , sodium chloride (NaCl) and gypsum (CaSO 4 .2H 2 O). Consequently, different treatments were used.

Stone buildings suffer many problems that affect their durability and strength. Sandstone is one of the most archaeological stones that are affected by various deterioration factors. Sandstone deterioration and the physical properties that play an important role in this deterioration, such as porosity, humidity, and drought were examined. Moreover, sandstone properties were studied using X-ray diffraction, x-ray fluorescence, and scanning electron microscopy. The thermodynamics, strength, and elastic properties of rocks were investigated. The electrodynamics of sandstone was also studied to identify the extent of damage to the sandstone structure. The study also concluded that water has a mechanical effect Dangerous for sandstone.