The Conservation Programme of the Côa Valley Archaeological Park: Philosophy, Objectives and Action

Fernandes, António Pedro Batarda

doi:10.1179/175355208x381822

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…Although there is considerable research and published work focusing on the physical state of rock art sites worldwide [7][8][9], research focusing on the role of biological agents in the deterioration of rock art is still minimal. Nevertheless, physical and chemical weathering processes initiated by stone-dwelling microorganism (biodeterioration) can play a significant role in the degradation patterns of the stone [10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Multi-Analytical Approach to Infer Mineral–Microbial Interactions Applied to Petroglyph Sites in the Negev Desert of Israel

et al. 2022

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Petroglyph sites exist all over the world. They are one of the earliest forms of mankind’s expression and a precursor to art. Despite their outstanding value, comprehensive research on conservation and preservation of rock art is minimal, especially as related to biodeterioration. For this reason, the main objective of this study was to explore the factors involved in the degradation of petroglyph sites in the Negev desert of Israel, with a focus on biodegradation processes. Through the use of culture-independent microbiological methods (metagenomics), we characterized the microbiomes of the samples, finding they were dominated by bacterial communities, in particular taxa of Actinobacteria and Cyanobacteria, with resistance to radiation and desiccation. By means of XRF and Raman spectroscopies, we defined the composition of the stone (calcite and quartz) and the dark crust (clay minerals with Mn and Fe oxides), unveiling the presence of carotenoids, indicative of biological colonization. Optical microscopy and SEM–EDX analyses on thin sections highlighted patterns of weathering, possibly connected to the presence of biodeteriorative microorganisms that leach the calcareous matrix from the bedrock and mobilize metal cations from the black varnish for metabolic processes, slowly weathering it.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%