BackgroundThe present research concerns the Roman wall paintings preserved at Insula del Centenario (IX, 8), the important Pompeian block situated in the Regio IX, along Via di Nola.ResultsThe aims of this research are two: to verify the presence of lipidic and proteinaceous material to spread the pigments, and to identify organic matter in painting materials owing to previous restoration works. The samples collected from the wall paintings of different rooms have been investigated by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), and Gas Chromatography/ Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS).ConclusionsThe analytical results show that these Roman wall paintings were realized without the use of lipidic and proteinaceous materials, supposedly in fresco technique. Moreover, it was detected that wax, egg, and animal glue were used in previous restoration works for protective purpose and to restore the wall paintings to their original brilliant colours.

Pantellerian ware is a Late Roman cooking ware whose production centre was established on the island of Pantelleria by the pioneering research of Fulford and Peacock almost 20 years ago (Peacock 1982;Fulford and Peacock 1984). Archaeological and archaeometric studies carried out by the authors of the present contribution during the past four years have aimed to fully characterize this ceramic class. Recurrent ceramic forms, their distribution over time and space, their petrographic characteristics and their chemical identity, as well as possible raw materials and their technological properties, were considered. The present paper is a comprehensive review of this archaeometric work and aims to establish a 'reference group'. Using a representative number of samples of Pantellerian ware that were recently discovered in the island through archaeological field surveys or surface and submarine excavations, it was possible to characterize in detail the compositional variability of this ware in terms of chemistry and petrography. Furthermore, the physical properties of this ceramic type have been defined in order to better understand its performance characteristics, mainly in response to induced thermal stress. In the meantime, the experimental mixing and tempering of locally sampled raw materials have shed light on the ancient manufacturing process and have led to an approximation of the original paste. INTRODUCTIONPantellerian ware is acknowledged to be a distinctive ceramic manufacture ( Fig. 1 (a)) produced on the island of Pantelleria. It reached its highest diffusion in the Mediterranean area during the Late Roman period. The name of this ware was first proposed by D. P. S. Peacock and M. G. Fulford (Peacock 1982;Fulford and Peacock 1984). During their archaeological excavations at Carthage, which focused on stratigraphic layers dating between the end of the fourth and the beginning of the seventh centuries ad , they brought to light a cooking ware assemblage. Its distinctive macroscopic features and their characteristic morphology led these authors to regard it as a specific ceramic production. Moreover, thin-section petrography helped them recognize very particular non-plastic inclusions (mineral and rock fragments) that 456 G. Montana et al. © University of Oxford, 2007, Archaeometry 49 , 3 (2007) 455-481were directly related to the volcanic rocks outcropping on Pantelleria, thereby giving them enough evidence to propose that the island of Pantelleria was the manufacturing centre.The overall aspect of Pantellerian ware is sufficiently coarse-grained ( Fig. 1 (b)) to suppose that it was thrown on a turntable. The walls of the artefacts are quite thick (around 10 mm), often with visible trails thought to be due to rubbing with a hard tool. The colour is dark-brown to reddish-brown, evidently inhomogeneous due to possible irregular firing. The well-known forms, few but yet recurring, are relatively simple and relate to food preparation : pots, casseroles, pans, bowls and lids (Fig. 2). Since it was first reported i...

The aim of the present project is to evaluate the deterioration degree of ancient glass surface used as mosaic materials (tesserae) in Pompeii's 'ninfei a scala'. Specimens come from the fountain in the 'Domus del Centenario' (Pompeii, IX, 8), built starting from the 1st century AD and have been studied within a broader project on the Domus involving archaeologists, engineers, geologists, chemists and materials scientists. Using data from both non-destructive analyses (OM, XRD, SEM-EDS and UV-VIS) and those requiring few milligrams of specimens (DTA-TGA and ICP-AES), a complete database of the tesserae based on classification by colour, materials characterisation and evaluation of their deterioration have been constructed. After characterisation, specimens were replaced in their original position in the mosaic using suitable mortars. One of the glassy tesserae that was analysed for surface deterioration gave interesting results. The glass, coloured opaque red from Cu 2 O micrometric crystallisation, turned green on the surface as a result of copper and lead leaching out and depositing as carbonate and sulphate salts. The glass production technology appeared to be very similar to that found in Nimrud (north Iraq) during the 8th century BC, the glass showing a similar chemical composition and deterioration. The identification of colour variations makes it possible to correctly read the decoration system and the archaeometric analysis will help to identify the site and production technique of materials.

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