Investigation of the pigment use in the Tomb of the Reliefs and other tombs in the Etruscan Banditaccia Necropolis

Alfeld, Matthias; Baraldi, Cecilia; Gamberini, Maria Cristina; Walter, Philippe

doi:10.1002/xrs.2951

Cited by 17 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 25 publications

(38 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Moonmilk deposits were not present in tombs of the Etruscan necropolises of Sarteano (Siena) (Pallecchi et al ., 2009) and Cerveteri (Rome) (Alfeld et al ., 2018). However, these tombs were excavated from travertine (a limestone) and tuffs (formed from volcanic ash), respectively.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Active microbial ecosystem in Iron‐Age tombs of the Etruscan civilization

Cirigliano

Mura

Cecchini³

et al. 2020

Environmental Microbiology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Earth's microbial biosphere extends down through the crust and much of the subsurface, including those microbial ecosystems located within cave systems. Here, we elucidate the microbial ecosystems within anthropogenic 'caves'; the Iron-Age, subterranean tombs of central Italy. The interior walls of the rock (calcium-rich macco) were painted 2500 years ago and are covered with CaCO 3 needles (known as moonmilk). The aims of the current study were to: identify biological/geochemical/biophysical determinants of and characterize bacterial communities involved in CaCO 3 precipitation; challenge the maxim that biogenic activity necessarily degrades surfaces; locate the bacterial cells that are the source of the CaCO 3 precipitate; and gain insight into the kinetics of moonmilk formation. We reveal that this environment hosts communities that consist primarily of bacteria that are mesophilic for temperature and xerotolerance (including Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria); is populated by photosynthetic Cyanobacteria exhibiting heterotrophic nutrition (Calothrix and Chroococcidiopsis); and has CaCO 3 precipitating on the rock surfaces (confirmation that this process is biogenic) that acts to preserve rather than damage the painted surface. We also identified that some community members are psychrotolerant (Polaromonas), acidotolerant or acidophilic (members of the Acidobacteria), or resistant to ionizing radiation (Brevundimonas and Truepera); elucidate the ways in which microbiology impacts mineralogy and vice versa; and reveal that biogenic formation of moonmilk can occur rapidly, that is, over a period of 10 to 56 years. We discuss the paradox that these ecosystems, that are for the most part in the dark and lack primary production, are apparently highly active, biodiverse and biomass-rich.

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Active microbial ecosystem in Iron‐Age tombs of the Etruscan civilization

Cirigliano

Mura

Cecchini³

et al. 2020

Environmental Microbiology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Furthermore, detectors with a larger detection area (or more than one detector in combination) highly increase the detected signal, speeding the measurement time up. Moreover, the size and the portability of these system allows to analyze samples with different dimensions, from manuscripts to large paintings [32][33][34][35][36], not only in museums or archives but also in archaeological sites [37], extending in this way the advantages of this kind of analysis to all the possible objects of the CH world. Besides, the higher spatial resolution has opened new possibilities for this technique, which allows not only to analyze the composition of the artist palette, or the presence of underdrawings, but that is also capable of recovering degraded and illegible daguerreotypes [38].…”

Section: State Of the Art Instruments And Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

More than XRF Mapping: STEAM (Statistically Tailored Elemental Angle Mapper) a Pioneering Analysis Protocol for Pigment Studies

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Among the possible variants of X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF), applications exploiting scanning Macro-XRF (MA-XRF) are lately widespread as they allow the visualization of the element distribution maintaining a non-destructive approach. The surface is scanned with a focused or collimated X-ray beam of millimeters or less: analyzing the emitted fluorescence radiation, also elements present below the surface contribute to the elemental distribution image obtained, due to the penetrative nature of X-rays. The importance of this method in the investigation of historical paintings is so obvious—as the elemental distribution obtained can reveal hidden sub-surface layers, including changes made by the artist, or restorations, without any damage to the object—that recently specific international conferences have been held. The present paper summarizes the advantages and limitations of using MA-XRF considering it as an imaging technique, in synergy with other hyperspectral methods, or combining it with spot investigations. The most recent applications in the cultural Heritage field are taken into account, demonstrating how obtained 2D-XRF maps can be of great help in the diagnostic applied on Cultural Heritage materials. Moreover, a pioneering analysis protocol based on the Spectral Angle Mapper (SAM) algorithm is presented, unifying the MA-XRF standard approach with punctual XRF, exploiting information from the mapped area as a database to extend the comprehension to data outside the scanned region, and working independently from the acquisition set-up. Experimental application on some reference pigment layers and a painting by Giotto are presented as validation of the proposed method.

show abstract

“…It also proved its value in the study and conservation of two water‐saturated wooden objects from a 17th‐century shipwreck 4 . XRF has aided in improving the understanding of historical changes in human‐environment interactions related to obsidian procurement in central Japan during the Upper Paleolithic and provided insights into the pigment used in painted reliefs of fourth‐century BC Etruscan tombs 5,6 . XRD, SEM–EDS, and FT‐IR were effectively utilized together to study uncommon copper alloy artifacts dating back to the eighth‐century BC and their complex degradation phenomena to develop strategies for long‐term conservation 7 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysis of Coronado State Historic Site artifacts using X‐rays

et al. 2023

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Two historic‐period metal artifacts were provided by the New Mexico Historic Sites to Los Alamos National Laboratory for non‐destructive analysis. The artifacts were a crossbow quarrel (or bolthead) and a reliquary pendant recovered from Kuaua Pueblo (also known as the Coronado Historic Site) in Bernalillo, NM. The quarrel is a heavily patinated metal that had been flattened due to compressive forces. The pendant consisted of a metal casing that had previously surrounded two center gemstones on the front and rear face of the pendant. The gemstone in the rear setting had fractured and was displaced from the setting, leaving only a small, loose fragment within the pendant for study. The front gem appeared to be very dark, near‐black in color, and the fragment of the rear gem was a bright red color. The artifacts were analyzed to ascertain their composition and glean insight into their provenance using the following X‐ray techniques: X‐ray computed tomography, confocal micro X‐ray fluorescence, and X‐ray diffraction. Infrared spectroscopy and electron microscopy were used on selected areas. Ultraviolet Raman spectra were collected on the two gems and the pendant. The metal material of the artifacts was found to be primarily composed of copper. The gems in the pendant were composed of manganese (front gem) and calcium (side gem).

show abstract

Investigation of the pigment use in the Tomb of the Reliefs and other tombs in the Etruscan Banditaccia Necropolis

Cited by 17 publications

References 25 publications

Active microbial ecosystem in Iron‐Age tombs of the Etruscan civilization

Active microbial ecosystem in Iron‐Age tombs of the Etruscan civilization

More than XRF Mapping: STEAM (Statistically Tailored Elemental Angle Mapper) a Pioneering Analysis Protocol for Pigment Studies

Analysis of Coronado State Historic Site artifacts using X‐rays

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About