Archeometry

Ninina Cuomo di Caprio

    Series: Studia Archaeologica, 144
    Format: 17 x 24 cm
    Binding: Hardcover with dustjacket
    Pages and Illustrations: 720, 200 b/w ill
    Publication Year: 2007
PDF ISBN 9788891317490
ISBN: 978-88-8265-397-2
A circa vent'anni dalla pubblicazione, il manuale ormai classico di Ninina Cuomo di Caprio viene riproposto per rispondere a precise esigenze di studio nel campo della ricerca archeologica e di formazione nell'ambito universitario. Il testo è stato completamente ripensato e riscritto, valorizzando le qualità che lo hanno imposto nel settore: la chiarezza, la completezza, l'attenzione culturale e storica alla tecnologia della ceramica. Nel ripercorrere il cammino seguito da un manufatto fittile dalla modellazione in argilla alla cottura nella fornace a combustibile solido naturale, l'attenzione è rivolta non soltanto agli aspetti tecnici ma anche alla piena consapevolezza circa le molte facce della produzione ceramica. La trattazione è incentrata sul mondo antico ma non solo classico: si aprono sviluppi riguardanti sia la preistoria sia il mondo medievale. Tutto questo rende il volume uno strumento di lavoro ancora più prezioso. La seconda parte del manuale è dedicata alle analisi di laboratorio che possono essere utili per una migliore comprensione della ricerca archeologica ed è completata da un'appendice sulle fonti letterarie antiche.

This paper presents the results of a preliminary survey in a central urban area of Rome, Italy. The results were obtained from both desktop and remote sensing surveys. The Aventinus Minor Project (AMP) is a community archaeological excavation project focusing on an understudied area in Rome with limited modern archaeological excavation: the Aventinus Minor or Little Aventine. The remote sensing (RS) anomalies revealed by the survey illustrate that this area is potentially rich in buried structures potentially correlated with ancient visible remains (i.e., the Servian Walls and Santa Balbina church). The application of RS approaches (such as NDVI, VARI, and GPR) and the creation of a GIS platform lays the foundations for a correct and georeferenced reporting of all collected data, providing a nuanced understanding of the urban archaeology in the dense topography of Rome.
Keywords: AMP; remote sensing; GPR; NDVI; VARI; GIS; Rome

With the Italian Neutron Experimental Station (INES) a new general purpose neutron powder diffractometer is available at ISIS, characterized by a high resolution at low d-spacings, and particularly suited for the quantitative phase analysis of a wide range of archaeological materials. Time-of-flight neutron diffraction is notable for being a non-destructive technique, allowing a reliable determination of the phase compositions of multiphase artefacts, with or without superficial corrosion layers. A selection of archaeometric studies carried out during the first year of the INES user programme is presented here to demonstrate the capabilities of the instrument.

https://difusion.ulb.ac.be/vufind/Record/ULB-DIPOT:oai:dipot.ulb.ac.be:2013/280822/Holdings
SUMMARY
Since man’s arrival on the American continent, pre-Columbian civilizations came in contact with other societies, whether neighbors or distant ones. This work aims to study the links, the contact phenomena and the transmission models between the pre-Hispanic cultures. This matter is tackled not in a general way but through the ceramic shape of the stirrup spout bottle. Why this vessel ? Because it was produced over a large portion of the American continent for more than three millennia. It is therefore an essential feature of the material culture of these civilizations, especially for those of South America. Few elements make it possible to observe these phenomena on a large scale and particularly between the two major cultural zones of South and Central America. The stirrup spout bottle is yet one of those elements that has crossed time and space.
Three factors are analyzed to fully comprehend this vast topic: the geography, the chronology and the technology.
The first two factors are addressed together. The method consists in drawing up an exhaustive inventory of pre-Columbian cultures that produced this unique ceramic shape as well as to list its morphological characteristics. These data allow to better understand the degrees of relationship uniting these cultures. This will enable to map its diffusion at micro or macro regional level throughout the pre-Hispanic era, from the first copies found in Ecuadorian Amazon to the ones produced under the Inca Empire in Peru.
The third factor addresses the technology. It is approached through the notion of "operational chain". The research focuses on the construction stages of the bottle with an emphasis on the analysis of the macro-traces found on its inner surface. The study is based on a sample of sixty three stirrup spout bottles of which forty-nine were specifically analyzed for the purpose of this thesis via archaeometry and its medical imaging techniques (CT scan and X-ray radiography) as well as with the naked eye observations. The analyzed bottles mainly belong to the cultures of the Peruvian North Coast. The collected data enables to compare the manufacturing processes, identify convergences and divergences, and better understand the transmission and the technical know-how of this unique form.

The multidisciplinary study of the subject originated from a conservation treatment conducted in situ from 2006 to 2011 and has developed gradually and across the board over the course of almost ten years. The initial complexity in how the existing composition of the altar was understood and interpreted has extended, in almost the same way, deep into the cathedral history, touching upon the question of the first architectural design for the sanctuary at the time the Roman mausoleum was being transformed into a church dedicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This long period has been reconstructed by observation and the recording of historical traces on the diverse kinds of materials in the sanctuary, the technological and chronological analyses of them, as well as by consulting published sources and works by many authors who researched individual aspects of this subject. Finally, the collected material was structured chronologically into a timeline of the altar’s construction and historical development, in the extent possible at this stage. This article is a follow up to an earlier one by the same author. The 2014 article discussed the historical development of the east niche with the altar and of the sanctuary with
the wooden choir through a multidisciplinary analysis of traces on the materials. These were the starting point and basis for the research, therefore proofs for the proposed chronology of development of the ensemble. It was envisaged for the articles to together form a basis of technical and historical data that would be further questioned, redefined and supplemented with new discoveries. The research continues according to the same model, encompassing technological analyses of the wooden material, structure, carving and polychromy of the backrests of the Romanesque choir stalls that are presently located in the cathedral choir. Also under way is the research of the monumental Romanesque doors whose original phase, along with their historical alterations, is first brought into connection with the Romanesque character of the sanctuary and then, through all subsequent phases of it
development, with the contemporary challenges of protection and presentation.
keywords: Split Cathedral, high altar, historical development, sanctuary, Diocletian‘s Mausoleum, niche, stipes, ciborium, wooden vault, Mateo Ponzoni, conservation treatment.
Multidisciplinarna studija o temi naslova počela je u sklopu konzervatorsko-restauratorskog zahvata koji je izveden in situ 2006.-2011. godine, a razvijala se postupno i slojevito gotovo deset godina. Polazna kompleksnost shvaćanja i daljnjeg objašnjenja današnje kompozicije oltara seže duboko u povijest katedrale, dotičući i pitanje prvog arhitektonskog koncepta svetišta u vrijeme pretvorbe antičkog mauzoleja u crkvu posvećenu Uznesenju Blažene Djevice Marije. To dugo razdoblje rekonstruirano je promatranjem i bilježenjem povijesnih tragova na raznorodnim materijalima u svetištu, njihovim tehnološkim i kronološkim analizama, kao i obradom do sada otkrivenih povijesnih izvora i radova niza autora koji su istraživali pojedine aspekte povezane s tom temom. Naposljetku je prikupljeni materijal strukturiran kronološki kao prikaz konstrukcije oltara i njegova povijesnog razvoja, opsežan onoliko koliko je to moguće u ovom trenutku. Članak je nastavak prethodnoga rada iste autorice iz 2014. godine, u kojem je obrađen povijesni razvoj istočne niše s oltarom i svetišta s drvenim korom, i to multidisciplinarnom obradom tragova na materijalima koji su bili polazište i uporište istraživanja, dakle dokazi predložene kronologije razvoja cjeline. Zamišljeno je da zajedno tvore bazu tehničkih i povijesnih podataka koja će se preispitivati, redefinirati i dopunjavati na temelju novih otkrića. Istraživanje se nastavlja prema istom modelu, obuhvaćajući tehnološke analize drvene građe, konstrukcije, obrade i polikromije naslona romaničkih sjedala koja su danas u koru katedrale, te monumentalne romaničke vratnice, čija se izvorna faza i povijesne preinake dovode u vezu najprije s romaničkim izgledom svetišta, a onda u svim kasnijim fazama njegova razvoja, do suvremenih izazova očuvanja i prezentacije. Unutar preoblikovane i danas prolazne istočne niše antičkog mauzoleja, na mramornoj plohi dvoboj-ne podne obloge iz 1866. godine, na površini od nepunih 25 m 2 oblika kvadrata (473 x 473 cm), smještena je jedna od intrigantnijih zagonetki naše kulturno-povijesne baštine. Cjelovita kompozicija glavnog oltara splitske katedrale, datirana u pretposljednje desetljeće 17. stoljeća (sl. 1, 2). Tu stilski homogenu cjelinu, najvećim dijelom intaktne konstrukcije, desetljećima je u nizu navrata proučavao Kruno Prijatelj koji je uz prve opće analize 14 slika u nju ugrađenih te rekonstrukcije opusa slikara, objasnio oltar na temelju nekoliko ključnih povijesnih zapisa koje je objelodanio te je u završnoj sintezi o splitskoj katedrali zaključke iznio u kraćem odlomku. 1 Iako oltarnu kom-poziciju kronološkim redom razlaže na pet segmenata: slike Matea Ponzonija, ploču Jerolima Natalisa, menzu, drveni ciborij i svod, ali shvaćajući da se nijedan od njih ne može izgraditi prije sljedećeg kao ni nakon prethodnog, pa onda ne i tim redoslijedom-rješenje pronalazi u sužavanju datacijskog okvira unutar kojega je ona finalizirana.

Il sito di Pantalica rientra geograficamente nell’estesa Riserva naturale orientata Pantalica, Valle dell’Anapo e Torrente Cavagrande, compresa tra i comuni di Ferla e Sortino, nella provincia di Siracusa. La necropoli si trova su un altopiano circoscritto da due canyon formatisi dallo scorrere a sud del fiume Anapo e a nord del Calcinara, suo affluente.

Fanny Van Cleven, Jeroen Reyniers en Anton Ervynck (red.), Met maagdelijke blik. De reliekenschat van Herkenrode doorgelicht, Scientia Artis, 17, Brussel, 2019.

De reliekenschat van de cisterciënzerinnenabdij van
Herkenrode wordt sinds jaar en dag gelinkt aan de devotie
van de Heilige Ursula en de 11.000 maagden. Abt Willem Van
Rijckel, handelaar in relieken, bezorgde deze devotionele
objecten aan Elisabeth van Spalbeek en de cisterciënzerinnen
in de tweede helft van de 13de eeuw. Na opheffing van de
abdij door de Franse overheid, eind 18de eeuw, werden de
relieken overgebracht naar de kerk van de Heilige Maagd Maria
van Kermt. Sinds 1992 is de collectie eigendom van de Sint-
Quintinuskathedraal van Hasselt.
Het Koninklijk Instituut voor het Kunstpatrimonium (KIK)
voerde, met de financiële steun van de Vlaamse Overheid, in
2007-2008 een kunsthistorisch onderzoek uit naar de herkomst
van deze schat. Gelijkaardige collecties in binnen- en buitenland
werden door kunsthistorica Frieda Sorber bestudeerd. Dit
project werd bovendien gekoppeld aan wetenschappelijke
onderzoeken, zoals onder andere radiokoolstofdateringen en
analyses van organische en anorganische elementen. Zowel
de weefsels als de decoratieve elementen, waaronder metalen
kloskant en beschreven perkament, werden onderworpen aan
verschillende studies. In 2009-2010 zorgde het restauratieatelier
textiel van het KIK voor een afsluitende conservatiecampagne
van alle 114 reliekhouders.
De resultaten van dit historisch onderzoek en bijhorende
wetenschappelijke analyses worden in deze publicatie
uitvoerig toegelicht. Dit boek wordt aangevuld met een online
inventaris.

Le trésor de l’abbaye cistercienne de Herkenrode est depuis
toujours rattaché au culte de sainte Ursule et des 11 000 vierges.
L’abbé Willem Van Rijckel, marchand de reliques, fit don de ces
objets de dévotion à Elisabeth van Spalbeek et aux soeurs dans
la seconde moitié du xiiie siècle. Après la dissolution de l’abbaye
par les autorités françaises à la fin du xviiie siècle, les reliques
furent transférées à l’église Sainte-Vierge-Marie de Kermt.
Depuis 1992, la collection est la propriété de la cathédrale
Saint-Quentin de Hasselt.
L’Institut royal du Patrimoine artistique (IRPA) a mené une
étude d’histoire de l’art sur l’origine de ce trésor en 2007-
2008, grâce au soutien financier du gouvernement flamand.
L’historienne de l’art Frieda Sorber a étudié des collections
similaires en Belgique et à l’étranger. Des examens scientifiques
– datation radiocarbone et analyse des éléments organiques
et inorganiques – sont venus compléter ces informations : les
tissus et les éléments décoratifs, parmi lesquels les dentelles
de fils métalliques et les écritures sur parchemin, ont fait l’objet
de diverses études. Enfin, en 2009-2010, l’atelier des textiles de
l’IRPA a mené une campagne de conservation-restauration des
114 reliques.
Ce livre dévoile les résultats de ce minutieux parcours de
recherche. Un inventaire est accessible en ligne pour prolonger
votre lecture.

The intention of this project is to produce a thorough reference typology of glass bangles from late-post medieval Middle Eastern sites (ca.13th-18th centuries CE) using the British Museum collection and external supporting collections. A full, large-scale review, database recording and digitising within the Museum’s stores will then be also attempted. This will accompany cataloguing of differentiations in sizes, patterning, colours and glazes, to demonstrate whether patterns on quantities, distributions, locations, types and/or dates can be determined. This formal typology will require approximately 50-200 bangles to establish ‘type’ categorisations for further investigation. Background research and scientific analyses of production techniques and chemical signatures will be undertaken to establish likely production sites to map distribution patterns and alterations in periodic phases between ca.1200-1700 CE. Understanding of the Indian Ocean trade network is typically approached from socio-political and socio-economic perspectives but rarely socio-symbolic. The aim of this study is to transform the understanding of the production, trade and use of glass bangles across the western Indian Ocean, producing a valuable addition to the British Museum’s research on trade and connections around the Indian Ocean. It will achieve this by establishing a new methodology for the systematic analysis of glass bangles, improving the  documentation of The British Museum’s collection in the Department of the Middle East (and interpretation of other museum collections) and by tackling key research questions:

Is it possible to see and track patterns in the typology, chronology and distribution of bangles in the archaeological record?

What can their distribution patterns tell us about trade and exchange networks in operation in the Western Indian Ocean?

What insights might glass bangles offer about their wearers’ lives, such as cultural, personal and gender identity?

An attempt to summarise the many years old research of Kraków archaeologists in cooperation with many institutions was the starting point for this popular science book.  The monuments of the cultural heritage of Paphos, like Kraków, have been present in the UNESCO list for years. The cultural heritage can be shown in many ways. On the following pages of this publication, we introduce it to the readers in the light of the so-called new technologies. Cultural heritage was the hero not only of this book, but also for the whole year 2018which has been announced as the European Year of Cultural Heritage (EYCH). WE ar proud of the fact that this publication has been covered by the patronage of the EYCH 2018. We present the cities of Kraków and Paphos, pearls of thr UNESCO list, as well as the relations between Kraków and Cyprus, which are not limited to today's mass tourism but go back many centuries. The main part of th epublications contains 18 texts written by 35 authors; they are divers and show richness of the ne technologies used.

Focused on uncoated ceramics, this tutorial paper is divided into two main sections. The first section deals with the operational phases required prior to firing (drying, piling, fuel supply). Then, the second chapter deals with the transformations that occur in the clayey paste during firing. An overall understanding of the firing process includes several issues to be considered and properly investigated. Thereafter, the thermal behaviour of several mineralogical phases (calcite and dolomite; quartz and cristobalite; K-feldspar and plagioclase; rutile and anatase; haematite, maghemite, hercynite and metallic Fe; illite, muscovite, biotite and chlorite; wollastonite, melilite, anorthite and monticellite; diopside and kaolinite) is described. Four brief chapters are further dedicated to the development of the amorphous/glassy component, to the matrix and its porosity, to the colour and the organic matter and to the variations in chemical composition, respectively. The concluding remarks provide a short list of the analytical techniques that have been commonly applied to the investigation of firing conditions and a concise summary of the state of the art of the "firing issue". The method to be applied in future experimental reproductions and the opportunity itself to investigate the "firing issue" in various contexts are further discussed.

Bu çalışma, İstanbul ili, Tophane semtinde yer alan, Tophane Kasrı binasının yapı malzemelerinin özelliklerini arkeometrik yöntemlerle belirlemek için yapılmıştır. Sade bir mimariye sahip iki katlı yapı, dönemin ünlü mimarları William James Smith ve Gaspare Fosatti'nin imzasını taşımaktadır. Yapıya ait; harç, sıva, taş, tuğla ve ahşapların kimyasal ve fiziksel özellikleri ve bozulmaları; Polarized Energy Dispersive-X Işını Floresans anlizi, petrografik ince kesit mikroskop analizi, ince kesit polorizan mikroskopla ahşap analizi ve kimyasal tuz testleri ile belirlenmiştir. Çalışma kapsamında yapıya ait özgün malzemeler kod verilerek alınmış, laboratuvarda tasnifleri ve analize hazırlık işlemleri yapılmıştır. Analizlerden elde edilen bulgularla 19. yy sonunda inşa edilen yapının malzeme karakterizasyonu ortaya çıkarılmıştır. Makalenin tamamına bu linklerden ulaşabilirsiniz:

Türk askeri tarihini ilgilendiren savaş araç ve gereçlerini yerli ve yabancı çeşitli müzelerde incelemek mümkündür. Arkeolojik ve etnografik örneklerinin müzelerimizde incelenmesine rağmen Ortaçağ Dönemi Türk kılıç sanatı açısından herhangi bir örneğine rastlanılmayan Selçuklu kılıçlarının form ve teknik özellikleri araştırmacılar için her zaman merak konusu olmuştur. Bu çalışmada, özel Hisart Canlı Tarih ve Diorama Müzesi koleksiyonunda, Koyunoğlu Müzesi'nde ve Türk İslam Eserleri Müzesi'nde Selçuklu Dönemi olarak sergilenen kılıçlar incelenmiş ve yakın zamanda Askeri Müze'ye bağışta bulunulan benzer nitelikteki bir kılıç da gözlemlenmiştir. Selçukluya atfedilen 14 kılıçtan 11'i; uzunluk, kalınlık ve ağırlık ölçüleri alınarak detaylı Fotoğraf ve çizimlerle tipoloji çıkartmak için çalışılmıştır. Koleksiyoner Nejat Çuhadaroğlu tarafından Kapalıçarşı'daki eski eşya satıcılarından farklı zamanlarda alınan bu kılıçlar bilimsel bir kazı buluntusu olmadıkları için arkeometrik teknikler kullanılarak ve sanat tarihi araştırmalarıyla incelenmiştir. Kılıçların metal içeriklerini öğrenebilmek için taşınabilir XRF cihazı, korozyon türünün tespiti için SEM-EDX, içyapılarını görüntülemek için ise radyografinin kullanılmasının yanı sıra kın içinden elde edilen bir ahşap parçası da Karbon 14 yöntemiyle tarihlendirilmek üzere Oxford'a gönderilmiştir. Geri kalan kılıçlar ise görsel gözlem yoluyla incelenebilmiştir. Bu bildiride; Selçuklu kılıçlarının varlığına ilişkin probleme dikkat çekip yürütülen çalışmalarla elde edilen bilgilerin paylaşılması amaçlanmıştır. Anahtar Kelimeler: Selçuklular, metal işçiliği, radyografi, ptXRF, SEM, arkeometri.

In the past, many scholars have attempted to find tin sources, in the central Mediterranean area, for bronze production, mostly between the Medium Bronze and Recent Bronze Age (1,700-1,200 BC). In this period we can find, in the entire Mediterranean, a series of critical events such as the depletion of the Anatolian tin ores; the advent and rise of the long-distance Cypriot trades; the " Bronze-Age collapse " ; the arrival of intra-European and intra-Mediterranean central production&trade places. With regard to the discussion of tin sources, scholars have fluctuated between recourse to the commonplace of " absence of prehistoric exploitation " or to the Cassiterides myth. In this paper, I will attempt to demonstrate that the tin from the Campiglia area was available in such quantity to meet, for some centuries, the needs of the central Mediterranean and was of exceptional quality, allowing it to be easily extracted and worked quickly. This paper will also underline that the Cornwall mines have stocked tin in large quantities only after the Roman conquest and that the oldest dating of Erzgebirge mining is medieval.

Второй том специализированного продолжающегося сборника научных статей «Поливная керамика Средиземноморья и Причерноморья X—XVIII вв.» посвящён вопросам, связанным с изучением массового археологического материала — поливной керамики обширного региона, включающего страны Средиземноморья, Причерноморья, Восточной Европы, Средней Азии, Дальнего Востока и зону евразийских степей периода зрелого и позднего средневековья. Главная задача продолжающегося издания «Поливная керамика Средиземноморья и Причерноморья X—XVIII вв.» — привлечение внимания медиевистов к вопросам изучения глазурованной посуды, и в частности, введение в научный оборот как можно большего числа не известных ранее археологических комплексов, содержащих поливную керамику, а также результатов, полученных при применении различных методик физико-химического изучения керамических глин и глазурей. В сборнике приняли участие учёные из Азербайджана, Белоруссии, Болгарии, Греции, Испании, Италии, Ливана, России, Румынии, Сербии, США, Турции, Узбекистана, Украины и Франции.
Под редакцией: С. Г. Бочарова, В. Франсуа, А. Г. Ситдикова

The second volume of research articles
“Glazed Pottery of the Mediterranean and the
Black Sea Region, 10th—18th Centuries” 1 is
published in the series edited by “Stratum”:
“Archaeological Records of Eastern Europe”
(AREE). It is not accidental, because among
the archaeological materials from the medieval
cultural layers, the glazed pottery is a special and
most representative, abundantly available type of
archaeological source. If we are to consider the
totality of artefacts in medieval cultural layers,
then in most cases, various ceramic materials will
make 97 % of them. All medievalists, historians
and archaeologists — students of material culture
of the urban and the steppe worlds, have to deal
with this particular group of archaeological
artefacts. Obviously, each particular episode
will have a different set of statistical data, but
generally, all items of glass, iron or precious
metals represented in cultural layers will count
dozens or even hundreds, in the best case, while
there will be dozens and hundreds thousand fi nds
of ceramic sherds. It will be only logical to try
and trace changes in development of the medieval
material culture by studying this most informative
category of mass material — glazed ceramics.
The second volume “Glazed Pottery of
the Mediterranean and the Black Sea Region,
10th—18th Centuries” includes fi ve chapters,
by geographic principle. They cover Western
Mediterranean, Eastern Mediterranean, Black
Sea, Eastern Europe, Central Asia and Far East
regions and address various issues related to
existence and distribution of glazed ceramics,
porcelain and faience on these territories.
The volume includes 44 articles prepared by
49 researchers from 15 countries (Azerbaijan,
Belarus, Bulgaria, France, Greece, Italy,
Lebanon, Russia, Romania, Serbia, Spain,
Turkey, Ukraine, USA, Uzbekistan).
The chief editors and members of the editorial
board hope that this volume will contribute to
a vaster knowledge of the glazed ceramics as an
element of the Mediterranean and steppe material
cultures and will be useful to all colleagues in
their daily research work.

Zusammenfassung:
Lange Zeit haben Wissenschaftler über die Funktion und Datierung der Goldkette von Isenbüttel, einem Altfund aus der Sammlung des Niedersächsischen Landesmuseums debattiert. Bislang waren keine Parallelen zu dieser Fuchsschwanzkette mit Tierkopfenden und Granatcloisonné bekannt. Ausgrabungen von angelsächsischen Friedhöfen der letzten Jahre haben einige Neufunde an Nadelpaaren mit Verbindungskette hervorgebracht, einem Objekttyp welcher vor allem in der zweiten Hälfte des 7. Jahrhunderts in England populär war. Diese Nadelpaare mit Verbindungskette stellen die besten Parallelen zur Goldkette von Isenbüttel dar und demonstrieren weitreichende Verbindungen innerhalb der frühmittelalterlichen Eliten.

Radyografi, arkeolojik ve tarihi sanat eserlerinin incelenmesinde çeşitli amaçlarla kullanılabilen önemli bir tahribatsız muayene tekniğidir. Bu teknik, konservasyon işleminden önce objelerin durumunun değerlendirilmesinde, envanter kaydı oluşturmada, kullanılan malzemelerin iç yapılarının görülmesinde, yapım tekniğini incelemede, sanat eserlerindeki gizli işaretleri ve sahteciliği ortaya çıkarmada, vb. birçok amaçla kullanılmaktadır. Radyografik muayene ile korozyon altında gizlenmiş cisimler, üretim hataları ve boşluklar esere zarar vermeden görüntülenebilmektedir. 2 Radyografide film üzerine kaydedilen gizli görüntü, film banyo edildiğinde malzemenin iç ve dış yapısının oluşturduğu gölge görüntüsü olarak elde edilmektedir. Bu görüntüde, ince veya az yoğun bölgeler koyu, kalın ve yoğunluğu diğer bölgelerden fazla olan bölgeler açık olarak görünmektedir. Radyografi, ana malzeme ile yoğunluk farkı oluşturan hacimsel iç hataların tespitinde en uygun yöntemdir. 3 Tüm bu özellikler radyografiyi kültürel mirasın incelenmesinde çok değerli ve önemli bir araç haline getirmiştir.

This article presents the fundamental principles of comprehensive archaeoceramological analysis
aimed at determining the provenance of ancient pottery sherds, the technology used in their manufacture
and their functional properties. Options for analysis of bulk ceramic finds are also outlined. The issue of
selecting an appropriate methodology is discussed, taking into account constraints such as the size of samples
and the fact that irreversible destruction of sherds during analysis should be kept to a bare minimum.

Tesi di laurea triennale di Laura Zannol. Università degli Studi di Trento.

Le ossa in esame si inseriscono all’interno di un’indagine condotta nel sito archeologico di San Rocco, presso Ceneda, nel comune di Vittorio Veneto (TV). Le ricerche condotte nel 2005 e nel 2006 hanno evidenziato un sito pluristratificato che, in base ai dati stratigrafici, si è ritenuto avere un antichissimo periodo di frequentazione: dal II – I sec. a.C, fino all’età contemporanea. Le ossa di questo studio sono di dubbia collocazione cronologica, a seguito di interventi edilizi di età moderna che ne hanno intaccato il contesto d’origine, tra il XIX secolo e gli anni Quaranta del Novecento. Tuttavia, i risultati stratigrafici dedotti dalle relazioni di scavo denotano cinque periodi di attribuzione: età tardo antica; età altomedievale - medievale; età moderna; XIX secolo; età moderna o contemporanea.
L’unicità e la fragilità di tali reperti ha imposto come priorità assoluta, un metodo d’indagine volto a non compromettere, se non in minima parte, i campioni. In particolare, è stata sperimentata una metodologia d’indagine basata sulla spettroscopia ad infrarosso a Trasformata di Fourier (FT-IR). Questa tecnica consente di individuare i legami chimici tra atomi e molecole presenti nel campione sottoposto ad analisi. La radiazione infrarossa, che colpisce il materiale da analizzare, crea dei moti vibrazionali degli atomi e delle molecole, i quali assorbono parte dell’energia incidente. All’interno del campione colpito dalla radiazione si verificano dei moti vibrazionali caratteristici per ogni legame chimico e quindi, per ogni componente chimico del materiale in esame. Tali vibrazioni, segnalate con dei picchi nello spettro finale dell’analisi, vengono successivamente paragonate con degli altri spettri di riferimento provenienti dalla letteratura, consentendo l’identificazione dei costituenti del campione osseo.
Il corpo principale di questa tesi mira a conoscere gli aspetti diagenteci delle ossa e a descrivere, confrontando le misure eseguite con la spettroscopia FT-IR, le trasformazioni subite nei campioni in oggetto. Attraverso questo approccio metodologico, si vuole individuare lo stato di conservazione dei reperti ossei mediante un’analisi parzialmente invasiva volta ad evidenziarne e a confrontarne i costituenti principali.

Ce mémoire de Master 2 est le résultat de deux années de recherches sur l'art rupestre préhistorique du sud de l'Ile-de-France abordé ici sous le prisme de l'archéologie expérimentale et de l'archéométrie. Dit aussi « de Fontainebleau », ce phénomène rupestre couvre un territoire de 1500 km² correspondant à la zone d’affleurement des sables de Fontainebleau au sein desquels du grès s’est formé. Aujourd’hui à l’état de chaos de blocs d’âge quaternaire, ces formations gréseuses offrent des milliers de petites cavités dont plus de 2000 sont porteuses de gravures non-figuratives composées de sillons rectilignes accumulés. Ils sont majoritairement disposés en séries parallèles ou en quadrillages, motifs emblématiques de cet art rupestre. Ces témoignages symboliques foisonnants sont longtemps restés aux marges des réflexions générales sur le Mésolithique en raison des difficultés de datation, mais une reprise récente des données archéologiques confirme une pratique rupestre intense durant le VIIIe millénaire BCE attestée par la présence d'outils lithiques émoussés de cette période au pied des parois gravées.

L'approche expérimentale d'une activité qui ne relève pas de l'économie quotidienne des sociétés humaines mais de leurs pratiques symboliques est une voie de renouvellement des connaissances. Pionnière pour l'art gravé de Fontainebleau, notre approche vise à connaitre l’engagement humain dans ces rites rupestres via l’exploration de deux dimensions : 1) la première d’ordre technique concerne la rareté des sillons courbes : est-ce le résultat d'un choix culturel ou bien d'une contrainte matérielle liée au grès gravé ou aux outils lithiques utilisés ? ; 2) la seconde est d’ordre temporelle avec les durées de réalisation des principaux motifs (sillons et quadrillages), données essentielles à la compréhension palethnologique de ce phénomène rupestre.

Afin de nous rapprocher le plus des conditions de gravure préhistoriques, nos expérimentations ont porté sur des blocs de grès mobiles et des cavités vierges découvertes des sablières modernes. Les outils de gravure utilisés ont été reproduits d’après le corpus mésolithique. Quatre projets expérimentaux, chacun composés d'une série de courtes expériences de gravure enregistrés dans une base de données relationnelle d'après un protocole guide, structurent notre démarche. Nous avons également développé une méthode inédite et objective de mesure de dureté du grès : quantifier l’influence de cette variable importante au sein de cette roche était le prélude indispensable à l’étude des durées de réalisation des gravures.

La première partie des résultats concerne la définition géologique du matériau gravé et de ses propriétés de gravure. Il s’agit en fait d’un cortex friable surfacique souvent inférieur à 1 cm d’épaisseur qui repose sur un coeur de grès dur non gravable. Il se conserve uniquement sur les grès protégés de l’érosion, dans les cavités par exemple. Après cette première description, nous avons cerné les conditions de gravabilité de ces cortex qui varient suivant leur épaisseur (souvent diverse dans une même cavité et parfois sur un unique bloc). Des critères en ressortent qui pourront éclairer à l’avenir la sélection des cavités par les graveurs sachant que celles qui ont été gravées voisinent avec d’autres restées sans motifs.
La possibilité de réaliser des sillons courbes avec des outils lithiques a été démontrée ; a contrario, le choix de réaliser des sillons rectilignes si fréquents sur les parois archéologiques relève bien d’un choix culturel.
Enfin, l'analyse approfondie des variables en jeu dans les durées de réalisation des gravures nous autorise à proposer des équations pour estimer la durée de réalisation de n'importe quel sillon ou quadrillage archéologique. Au final, le temps moyen de gravure de ce dernier motif a pu être estimé entre 5 et 15 min. Ces résultats nous permettent d’ouvrir la question de l’implication humaine dans le phénomène rupestre du massif de Fontainebleau. Vu la grande quantité de cavités gravées dispersées sur un large territoire, il était déjà clair que cette activité fut l’expression d’une collectivité partageant des traditions communes. Nous pouvons désormais ajouter que l'acte de graver une série de sillons où un quadrillage n'était pas un exercice difficile et que les durées de réalisation en jeu ne nécessitaient pas le dégagement d’un temps important. Cette pratique pourrait ainsi constituer l’activité rituelle courante d'un grand nombre d'individus dans une multitude de lieux aisément accessibles. De plus, les outils et techniques simples qu’elle met en œuvre ne suggèrent pas l’existence de spécialistes techniques dédiés à leur réalisation. Il y a là un contraste avec certaines œuvres d’art pariétal paléolithique en grottes profondes parfois difficilement accessibles, témoignant d’un haut degré de technicité et dont la réalisation peut se compter en heures. De même, les grandes représentations piquetées de personnages accompagnés de leurs haches sur des mégalithes ostentatoires en grès dur datant du Néolithique moyen dans la même région de Fontainebleau semblent autrement plus longues à réaliser, relevant certainement d’une autre sociologie.