Technologies for Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage

- The Archeometry: meaning and importance as a multidisciplinary science to support archaeological research. - Overview of main geochemical diagnostic techniques used in the field of Cultural Heritage: characteristics, potential, and problems. - Chemistry Review: The Elements; basic principles of inorganic chemistry, periodic properties of the elements. - Stable and radioactive Nuclides. Radioactive decay and its laws. Concept of activity of a radioisotope. Radioactive natural families. - Radiometric dating methods: 14C, U-Th-Pb, and Rb/Sr systems dendrochronology and thermoluminescence. Radiogenic isotopes as tracers of rock materials, metals, and migration phenomena of the past. - Stable isotopes: introduction to stable isotopes, notation, standards. isotope fractionation, range of isotopic systems (O, H, C). Applications to paleoecology, the paleoenvironment, and the paleodiets, Stable isotopes applied to the study of marbles used in antiquity (8-hour class time). - Origin of metallurgy. Metallurgical processes, metal alloys, and alloying techniques. Metal processing, techniques, and artifact. Chemical and isotopic analysis of ancient metal artifacts and application to studies of provenance. - Archaeometry of ceramics. Ceramics in antiquity.The nature of clay bodies: mineralogical, geochemical and technical characteristics of clay. Structure and composition, physical properties of ceramics, and the technology of production. Basic analytical methodologies used in the study of ceramics. - The glass: composition and chemical and isotope ratios as a provenance indicator. - EXERCITATION

This course requires a sound background in chemistry and mineralogy.

M. Aitken, Science based dating in archaeology. Longman, 1990 - G. Artioli, Scientific Methods and Cultural Heritage, An Introduction to the Application of Materials Science to Archaeometry and Conservation Science, Oxford University Press - A. Castellano, M. Martini, E. Sibilia (a cura di), Elementi di archeometria. Egea, 2002. - G. Faure, Principles of isotope geology. J. Wiley & Sons, 1986 - C. GIARDINO, I metalli nel mondo antico. Introduzione all’archeometallurgia, Laterza, Roma Bari 2002 - C. Renfrew, P. Bahn, Archeologia. Teoria, Metodi, Pratica. Zanichelli, 1999. - N.Herz & G. Garrison, Geological methods for archaeology, Oxford Univ. Press, 1998.

Teaching format: lectures in the classroom. Teaching tools will include a personal computer, overhead projector, and PowerPoint presentations. The content of lectures is uploaded on e-learning moodle-Sapienza.

Students are strongly recommended to actively take part in the lessons.

Students must achieve a minimum mark of 18/30 to pass the exam. The assessment is based on an oral midterm and final exam. The exams are composed of multiple questions. NOTE: If the student does not attend or pass the midterm exam, he/she will take the final written exam, which will cover the entire content of this course.

M. Aitken, Science based dating in archaeology. Longman, 1990 - G. Artioli, Scientific Methods and Cultural Heritage, An Introduction to the Application of Materials Science to Archaeometry and Conservation Science, Oxford University Press - A. Castellano, M. Martini, E. Sibilia (a cura di), Elementi di archeometria. Egea, 2002. - G. Faure, Principles of isotope geology. J. Wiley & Sons, 1986 - C. GIARDINO, I metalli nel mondo antico. Introduzione all’archeometallurgia, Laterza, Roma Bari 2002 - C. Renfrew, P. Bahn, Archeologia. Teoria, Metodi, Pratica. Zanichelli, 1999. - N.Herz & G. Garrison, Geological methods for archaeology, Oxford Univ. Press, 1998.

Teaching format: lectures in the classroom. Teaching tools will include a personal computer, overhead projector, and PowerPoint presentations. The content of lectures is uploaded on e-learning moodle-Sapienza.