Martina Sciortino, Alessia Santiglia, Monica Azzarone, Laura Magnano, Giorgio Baratti, Laura Santagostini, Vittoria Guglielmi
Salt, or halite, has been extracted from saline waters and sediments since the Neolithic period. Since then, the techniques used are natural evaporation (in salterns) and artificial evaporation (by applying heat from combustion). Within the study of archaeological salt-production areas, distinguishing between the two possible production processes allows for the inference of valuable insights into the socio-economic organization of the societies under investigation. Through the integration of mineralogical (XRD) and spectroscopic data (MIR and FAR-IR), this experimental work aims to identify...
TC26 MetroArcheo Conference 2025
· TC26
· 2025
· 10.21014/tc26-2025.065
· Download
Emma Angelini, Margherita Bongiovanni, Sabrina Grassini, Leila Es Sebar, Federico Di Iorio
A conservation campaign is currently underway, at Politecnico di Torino, to preserve a significant collection of measurement instruments and devices from the Department of Physics and the Advanced School of Electronics Laboratory, originally established by Galileo Ferraris in 1888. The collection comprises teaching and research apparatus used between the 1920s and 1960s, including voltmeters, ammeters, galvanometers, valve and battery testers, and other related equipment. The ongoing conservation effort utilizes non-invasive, in situ analytical techniques such as portable X-ray fluorescence...
TC26 MetroArcheo Conference 2025
· TC26
· 2025
· 10.21014/tc26-2025.064
· Download
Yuval Goren, Yotam Asscher, Sariel Shalev, Danny Rosenberg
This study investigates the origins of extractive metallurgy in the southern Levant, particularly during the Ghassulian culture of the Chalcolithic period (circa 4700/4500–3800 BCE). It presents evidence that the production of complex alloys began earlier than previously thought. Using a novel radiocarbon sampling method focused on the production dates of metal objects, the research examines artifacts from the Naḥal Mishmar hoard and their ritual context in Israel's Judean Desert. The study highlights the evolution of long-distance trade in copper alloys, contrasting sophisticated lost-wax...
TC26 MetroArcheo Conference 2025
· TC26
· 2025
· 10.21014/tc26-2025.063
· Download
Renato Pelosato, Isabella Natali-Sora, Virna Maria Nannei, Giulio Mirabella Roberti
Mortars from the 16th-century Venetian Fortress of Bergamo (Italy) were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD). Samples were taken from the bastions of San Pietro and Valverde, areas affected by severe degradation and targeted in a recent conservation initiative. XRD qualitative phase analysis and semi-quantitative analysis were performed on 59 samples collected from 9 cores extracted at different locations. XRD analysis identified calcite, hydrocalumite- and hydrotalcite-type compounds, brucite, aragonite, plombierite, and a substantial amorphous fraction in the binder, while aggregates...
TC26 MetroArcheo Conference 2025
· TC26
· 2025
· 10.21014/tc26-2025.062
· Download
Manel Górriz i Villar, Mirco Ramacciotti, Iván Fumadó Ortega, Hamden Ben Romdhane, Ángel Morales-Rubio, Gianni Gallello
This study presents the multi-technique characterization of lime mortars from the Villa of Gammarth, an archaeological site north of Carthage (Tunisia). Sixteen samples from wall renders, structural joints, and waterproof coatings were analyzed using attenuated total reflectance infrared spectroscopy, portable X-ray fluorescence, and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The analysis focused on major, minor, and trace elements, including Rare Earth Elements, and molecular signatures of the mortars. Results reveal different compositional groups based on chemical characteristics....
TC26 MetroArcheo Conference 2025
· TC26
· 2025
· 10.21014/tc26-2025.061
· Download
Manel Górriz i Villar, Mirco Ramacciotti, Iván Pérez Torralba, Angel Morales Rubio, Iván Fumadó-Ortega, José María Macias Solé, Albert Ribera, Gianni Gallello
The present work deals with the chemical characterisation of the ancient mortars of València la Vella, a Visigothic site dated between the 6th and 8th centuries AD and located in the municipality of Ribaroja de Túria (València, Spain). Thirty-five mortar samples were collected from different masonries and analyzed by portable X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry to obtain concentrations of major, minor and trace elements, including Rare Earth Elements. Data from multielement analysis were explored by multivariate statistics to detect the possible...
TC26 MetroArcheo Conference 2025
· TC26
· 2025
· 10.21014/tc26-2025.060
· Download
Josep M Macias Soler, Mahjoub Himi Benomar, Andreu Muñoz Virgili, Aritz Urruela García, Andreu Muñoz Melgar, Albert Casas Ponsatí
The characterization of the Visigoth episcopal see of Tarragona remains one of the most complex areas of research, largely due to the architectural superimposition of the medieval cathedral atop the Late Antique acropolis, which has significantly compromised the preservation of underlying archaeological remains. In this context, non-invasive surveys offer a valuable alternative for investigation. This study proposes a hypothesis regarding the location of the baptistery associated with the Visigothc cathedral, which has yet to be confirmed through archaeological excavation. While we...
TC26 MetroArcheo Conference 2025
· TC26
· 2025
· 10.21014/tc26-2025.059
· Download
Tallis Rubens, Fabiana Oliveira, Fabricio Costa, Luciana Toledo, Ana Elisabete Jacintho
Digital photogrammetry, especially through the use of drones, has proven to be an efficient, accurate, and low-cost alternative for mapping damage on the facades of historical buildings. This paper presents a case study applied to the Solar do Barão de Itapura, in Campinas, São Paulo, aiming at the creation of a detailed orthophoto with the identification and classification of pathological manifestations. The methodology includes visual inspection, flight planning, image capture, point cloud processing using Agisoft Metashape Pro software, and analysis of the generated products such as 3D...
TC26 MetroArcheo Conference 2025
· TC26
· 2025
· 10.21014/tc26-2025.058
· Download
Tommaso Beni, Silvia Guideri, Debora Brocchini, Marta Coccoluto, Diletta Borselli, Lorenzo Bonechi, Sandro Gonzi, Irene Centauro, Anna Palamidessi, Vitaliano Ciulli, Raffaello D’Alessandro, Giovanni Gigli, Deodato Tapete, Veronica Tofani, Silvia Bianchini
This work aims to demonstrate how integrating multi-scale, non-invasive techniques can support early detection and risk mitigation in complex heritage landscapes, such as the Val di Cornia parks system in southern Tuscany (Italy). Here, multitemporal satellite InSAR data were used to measure surface deformations with millimetric accuracy over a wide area in a recent time span. At local/hypogean scale, muon imaging (muography) was applied inside the Temperino mine gallery, in the Archaeological and Mining Park of San Silvestro, alongside close-range geomatic and geological surveys to detect...
TC26 MetroArcheo Conference 2025
· TC26
· 2025
· 10.21014/tc26-2025.057
· Download
Giandomenico Mastrantoni, Jessica Clementi, Antonio Molinari, Ioannis Farmakis, Paolo Mazzanti
Heritage masonry structures face increasing deterioration risks that require continuous monitoring to enable timely conservation interventions, yet current thermal assessment methods rely on periodic surveys that fail to capture dynamic thermal behaviour patterns. This study presents the implementation of a continuous thermal monitoring system using three fixed infrared cameras (Mobotix M73) for 24/7 monitoring of historic wall sections in Rome. Thermal images acquired at 30-minute intervals were processed using custom-developed algorithms for temporal series extraction, edge detection...
TC26 MetroArcheo Conference 2025
· TC26
· 2025
· 10.21014/tc26-2025.056
· Download