Abstract:The painted murals in the tombs at Beni Hasan (circa 2100 B.C.) are obscured by a rock-like grey surface layer. Its formation involves subsurface removal of slightly soluble calcite (CaCO,) under the action of surface-condensed water. To study the mechanism of surface layer formation and the effect of mural cleaning during recent restorations, the PIXE microprobe was used. Iron depth profiles in red-painted samples taken from the murals, both uncleaned and cleaned, have been obtained over depths of 80 km (the… Show more
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