Nondestructive analyses of carbonate rocks: applications and potentiality for museum materials

Barbera, Giovanni; Barone, Germana; Crupi, V.; Longo, Francesca; Majolino, D.; Mazzoleni, Paolo; Venuti, Valentina

doi:10.1002/xrs.2425

Cited by 14 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…[8] Among the different noninvasive methods, X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and Raman spectroscopy based on portable instruments have been demonstrated to be powerful techniques in the archeometric studies of artistic and archeological artifacts. [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] In this work, the color palette of a selection of vases currently exhibited at the Regional Museum in Lipára (Figure 1) has been characterized by portable XRF and portable Raman spectrometers, with the aim to complement and enrich our knowledge about the early Hellenistic Sicilian polychrome vase production.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pigments characterization of polychrome vases production at Lipára: New insights by noninvasive spectroscopic methods

et al. 2017

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One of the most impressive Sicilian pottery production is attributed to the socalled Lipari Painter and his followers, whose vessels-found in the archeological site of Lipari (Aeolian Island, Sicily)-are decorated with characteristic blue, red, and white figures. From the archeological point of view, these artworks keep open many questions concerning dating, production technique, and cultural background. In this context, new data on the manufacture procedures and on the raw materials used for the pigments may contribute to a deeper comprehension of this early Hellenistic vase tradition. The preciousness of the vessels, exhibited at the Archeological Museum of Lipari, imposed the use of in situ nondestructive methods to address new insights on the nature of the colored layers. Thus, analyses by Raman and X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy have been performed with portable instruments on a selection of vessels certainly attributed to Lipari Painter and to some others of his followers. The results of this study testify the use of different pigments: kaolin and gypsum, probably supplied locally, for white layers; Egyptian blue for blue hues; red ochre for brown-reddish hues; and cinnabar for pink and red-purple nuances. The identification of both Egyptian blue and cinnabar opens an interesting discussion about dating and circulation of the raw materials.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pigments characterization of polychrome vases production at Lipára: New insights by noninvasive spectroscopic methods

et al. 2017

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“…Using portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) it is possible to obtain quick, nondestructive geochemical data on a wide variety of materials ranging from glass beads to obsidian to basalt. Previous research has focused on using pXRF to characterize homogeneous materials (Barbera et al 2013;Forster and Grave 2013;Frahm 2012;Liu et al 2013;Nazaroff et al 2010;Potts and West 2008). Tibbits (in progress) has developed a methodology for using pXRF on coarse-grained materials, specifically granite, that can provide that that is statistically similar to results obtained through traditional XRF, which requires the sample to be powdered.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) has been in use for the past decade or so, but recent advances in the technology have made it a better fit for archaeological sourcing studies (e.g. Frahm 2012, Goodale et al 2012, Craig et al 2007, Barbera et al 2013, Forster and Grave 2013, Nazaroff et al 2010. Chemical data can be obtained on a large range of elements (generally Mg-U), either in the field, museum, or lab, and rapidly with no damage to the artifact.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geochemical sourcing of granite ground stone tools from Belize

Tibbits¹

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Portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) provides a new alternative to destructive methods of raw material characterization, such as X-ray fluorescence (XRF), neutron activation analysis (NAA), and traditional thin section petrography, although its effectiveness on coarse-grained materials, such as granite, has been questioned. This project addressed this question by determining the effectiveness of pXRF in characterizing granites from Belize and in sourcing granite ground stone tools from Maya sites in Belize. Geochemical fingerprints were defined for three potential source areas (granite plutons in the Maya Mountains of Belize) using outcrop samples. Samples were analyzed using pXRF, XRF, electron microprobe (EMPA), and thin section analyses. PXRF data from archaeological collections of granite ground stone tools from sites in Belize were then compared to the pluton geochemical signatures. There were two principle results of this research. First, analyses indicated that pXRF can accurately characterize the geochemistry of granites from Belize on a suite of elements. Second, this research demonstrated that the Maya of Belize exploited multiple granite outcrops and participated in different kinds of exchange networks to acquire granite, sometimes acquiring stone from the nearest outcrops and sometimes not. While Mountain Pine Ridge was the dominant source outcrop that was exploited, Cockscomb Basin and Hummingbird Ridge granites were also quarried or scavenged. Sometimes the closest source was used, as is the case at Alabama, who exploited the locally available Cockscomb Basin granite. Through this study it appears that the nearest pluton was not always used. Instead Mountain Pine Ridge granite tools were imported from a greater distance, implying that there were additional factors, such as economic partners and changing political powers, which lead to Mountain Pine Ridge granite being the most pervasive in most archaeological collections within Belize.

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“…Moreover, a group of samples of typical clay sediments cropping out near the two archaeological excavations (Syracuse and Adrano) were sampled and investigated to determine the possible raw materials of the varnish. Chemical data were processed by means of multivariate statistical analysis, a procedure used in various provenance studies …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Combined XRF‐SEM analysis of varnished pottery: the case of Syracuse and Adrano (Sicily) archaelogical finds

et al. 2012

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Micro-destructive and non-destructive X-Ray fluorescence techniques and scanning electron microscopy coupled with energydispersive spectrometry have been applied for the analysis of ten samples of Hellenistic black-varnished pottery, coming from archaeological excavations in Syracuse and Adrano (South Italy, Sicily). Micro-morphological and compositional investigations, together with statistical data processing, have shown several differences among the varnishes of the specimen found in the two sites. In particular, Syracuse varnishes are characterised by a more homogeneous composition and well-defined raw materials, whereas Adrano samples show a higher variability, probably linked to the use of different raw materials and the poorer quality of the varnish as well. The obtained results attest that, as Syracuse black pottery is concerned, the production technique is at an advanced level, whereas Adrano manufacture seems to be less specialised.

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Nondestructive analyses of carbonate rocks: applications and potentiality for museum materials

Cited by 14 publications

References 26 publications

Pigments characterization of polychrome vases production at Lipára: New insights by noninvasive spectroscopic methods

Pigments characterization of polychrome vases production at Lipára: New insights by noninvasive spectroscopic methods

Geochemical sourcing of granite ground stone tools from Belize

Combined XRF‐SEM analysis of varnished pottery: the case of Syracuse and Adrano (Sicily) archaelogical finds

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