Proceedings

Precise lead isotope ratios measurements on Ebusus coins and on some Campanian imitations.

In this work, precise measurements of lead isotope ratio in old coins from Ebusus are presented and the results are compared to data obtained from the analysis of imitation coins from Campania. Thermal ionization source (TIMS) was used for the measurements. Original coins minted by Ebusus are examined in order to have (certain) data to serve as a reference and then to be compared with coins of different origins or uncertain attributions. The lead isotope ratio resulted to be a valid parameter for the recognition and attribution of tested samples.

Corrosion of cans in collections: the CANS project

This paper present the results of the CANS project (Conservation of cAns in collectioNS), an interdisciplinary research aiming at proposing conservation strategies for full cans, still retaining their original contents, in museums and collections. The paper includes the outcomes of the condition report carried out on 150 cans from 5 Swiss collections, the correlation between state of conservation, content and age of the can and the extensive characterization of the cans' materials for a better understanding of the corrosion mechanisms.

Wireless sensor network for indoor and outdoor atmospheric monitoring in culture heritage

Environmental monitoring is of paramount importance in the preservation of cultural heritage. Climatic conditions affect significantly the conservation state of cultural heritage assets and can accelerate their degradation process. Thus, a continuous and accurate monitoring system is required in most of the cultural heritage sites to control the micro-climate parameters. The proposed environmental monitoring system complies with the typical constraints required in the cultural heritage field and it is effectively employed in different monitoring campaigns still in progress. The system...

Semi-automatic segmentation of architectural 3D models with semantic annotation and Web fruition

Semantic segmentation of 3D models of ancient and historic buildings is an important modern Cultural Heritage topic. This work reports our preliminary results on the creation of a software system for partial semiautomatic semantic segmentation of building 3D models produced by photogrammetric surveys, and their fruition by Web technologies. These results were obtained in collaboration with Corvallis SPA (Padua – Italy, http://www.corvallis.it).

Digital photogrammetry for archaeological artefacts acquisition

Caveat: measurement strategy for ultra-thin metal layers in gold leaf mosaic tesserae by Monte Carlo SEM-EDS micro- and nanoanalysis simulations

A very useful technique that can provide the local composition of a very thin material, such as the metal leaves of mosaic tesserae, is the Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) coupled to Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectrometry (EDS). However a careful analytical strategy must be considered when dealing with tesserae samples, because the metal leaf is extremely thin (0.2 – 1 µm), whereas the thickness of the support and the cartellina glasses are usually more than three order of magnitude thicker, and many artefacts could arise from the electron and X-Ray scattering in solids and EDS detector –...

A Case Study of Agrarian Assets in the Territory of Caere (6th-5th century BC)

The present paper defines some approaches employed to study the agrarian landscape of the Etruscan city of Caere.The aim is to verify some features of rural infrastructures of this territory, which has been planned systematically since the end of the 7th- early 6th century BC. Through the use of different approaches – from the archaeomorfology to the metrology, to the aerial photo interpretation – the research seeks to verify those signs suggesting systematic and symmetrical forms of occupation of the Caeretancountryside, as an effect of an articulated plan imposed by the city at the time of...

Multi-millennial tree-ring chronologies for dating purposes in Italy

A total of 909 samples of subfossil wood were collected in 38 high elevation sites of the Italian Alps. 517 of them were dated to the calendar year through dendrochronology, allowing the construction of 8 mean chronologies, which all together cover a period of around 11500 years. Such long tree-ring chronologies demonstrate to be a powerful tool for dating of archaeological woods in Italy and abroad.

Metagenomic for cultural heritage: techniques for conservation and monitoring.

This investigation presents the characterization of biodeteriogenic microorganisms in the biological patina of architectural surfaces of the Church of Madonna del Carmine in Melpignano (Lecce, Italy). The aim was to picture the biodiversity of fungal and bacterial consortia inhabiting different part of this monument in order to obtain useful informations for restoration and conservation interventions. Microbial communities were characterized by means high throughput deep sequencing using an Illumina Miseq-based amplicon sequencing of the ribosomal internal transcribed spacer-1 (ITS1) region...

Counting the finds, measuring the properties of soil: Archaeological diagnostics in the suburbium of a Roman town.

Ammaia is a deserted Roman town located in the region of Alto Alentejo, in Portugal, included in ancient province of Lusitania. In recent years, a series of geophysical surveys have been carried out in the framework of the European Community (EC) funded project Radio-Past, in the supposed intra-mural surface and suburbia. A 'total coverage' magnetometer survey was achieved by several teams, using different instruments in an around the ancient town. The selected sectors have been investigated with high-resolution Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) and earth resistance methods, revealing a highly...