RICERCA ITALIANA     

SCIENCE OF ANCIENT MATERIALS DERIVED FROM GEO-MATERIALS:
basic Geosciences knowledge applied to the study of metals and glassy-materials

Università degli Studi di Pavia

Abstract

The project aims to: promote the advancement of scientific base knowledge and the transfer of technological know-how, produce scientific publications, and develop an on-line reference database. As research will be undertaken within university structures, the project will make the most of human resources by providing young researchers the opportunity to be involved in the research activities. The project aims to reach two main objectives which form the basis of project management and monitoring. The objectives are identified at the end of a series of tasks that lead to a well-defined result.

The project is a balanced mix of research activity, organisation and formation. Research will take place in laboratories which in time have acquired expertise and instrumentation for the micro- and nanometric characterisation of fragments smaller than a millimeter, but representative of the whole artefact and providing the accurate determination of their structure and chemistry.

OBJECTIVES
1- Identify methodologies and calibrate analytical strategies for the investigation of ancient materials.
2- Reconstruct ancient production recipes and processes through analysis.

TASKS
1) RAW MATERIALS IN THE PRODUCTION OF GLASS, EUTECTIC REACTIONS AND FUSION PROCESSES
2) STANDARDISATION OF ANALYTICAL METHODOLOGIES AND DATABASE DEVELOPMENT
3) GLAZE-CERAMIC BODY INTERACTIONS, RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN SUBSOLIDUS AND LIQUIDUS >>>

Principal Investigator

Bruno MESSIGA Università degli Studi di PAVIA

Research Objectives

The project aims to: promote the advancement of scientific base knowledge and the transfer of technological know-how, produce scientific publications, and develop an on-line reference database. As research will be undertaken within university structures, the project will make the most of human resources by providing young researchers the opportunity to be involved in the research activities.

Basic research involved in this project is highly likely to find practical applications in artisanal (ceramics and artistic glass) and industrial (blown glass and flat glass) production. In the context of cultural heritage, this project will also provide a better understanding of cultural goods and enables the refinement of diagnostic protocols for their conservation and restoration.

The project is undertaken by a research group which aims to subsequently establish collaborations with European Community partners. At the end of the project the group will be able to continue its activities through various financial instruments identified among the specific measures in support of international cooperation. Objective B.2 - "Protection and conservation of cultural heritage" is encompassed in projects such as the present one, which adopts an integrated, multidisciplinary approach for the identification and valorisation of civilisation pathways in the Mediterranean area.

The research group was not established as a mere formality, but was defined on >>>

First Results

The expected and final results are the achievement of the proposed
objectives and the publication of data in specialized journals

Timescale

24 months

National and international background

The study of ancient materials focuses on the numerous factors that led to the production of artefacts with extremely complex intrinsic characteristics. For this reason archaeometric studies on production processes and transformation of raw materials must involve the integration of different analytical techniques. The reconstruction of ancient production and processing technologies, i.e. processing of raw materials, through scientific investigation is such that archaeometry can be considered a true Ancient Materials Science when it focuses on the relationship between the properties of ancient artefacts and their crystalline structure and texture.
In recent years one of the areas of principal collaboration between archaeology and earth sciences has been the study of geological materials used in the production of artefacts, analysed as indicators of provenance of handicraft items that show a degree of specialization that would seem to suggest a level of economic and social organization already involving craftsmen freed from the tasks of primary production and dedicated primarily or exclusively to their specialized skills. This fundamental transition in social complexity is first seen in Italy and Europe during the Bronze age, around 2000 B.C. It subsequently developed, merging into the historical period and achieving complete affirmation and articulation in the Roman age.

TASK 1 - The glass production implies different phases starting from quarrying of >>>