Lead it be! Identifying the construction phases of gothic cathedrals using lead analysis by LA-ICP-MS

Mining Archaeology and Micro‐Raman Analysis Associated with ESEM‐EDX: Toward a Chrono‐Spatial Definition of Ore Consumption in a Pyrenean Medieval Workshop, 14th–16th Centuries

“…The method developed for the study of galena was adapted from L'Héritier et al . (). Materials were sampled by an excimer laser (ArF*, 193 nm).…”

Historical monuments and lead pollution: Lessons from the case of Notre-Dame de Paris and Sainte-Chapelle

“…Lead supply sources are also much likely to evolve over time, throughout the Middle Ages and the modern period. Major differences in lead elemental signatures was for example highlighted in Beauvais, Bourges, Chartres and Metz cathedrals regarding lead sealing and roof sheets [19,20]. Thus, the construction of a given monument induces multiple lead signatures which correspond to different lead supplies.…”

Determining the geochemical fingerprint of the lead fallout from the Notre-Dame de Paris fire: Lessons for a better discrimination of chemical signatures

“…In addition, access into the cathedral for scientists for dust sampling was denied until June 2019, where access was extremely limited. The fire dust deposited in the cathedral appeared to be the most appropriate material to represent the Pb particles likely to contaminate the environment, rather than sampling metallic remains of the burnt roof, which can exhibit different geochemical signatures depending on their construction and restoration phases (L'Héritier et al, 2016;Glorennec et al, 2021). Ideally, the dust samples should have been collected immediately after the fire and only on dedicated supports previously tested for their low element content.…”

“…Metallic Pb samples of less than 1 cm in size were cut with a chisel on Pb joints directly in the studied buildings: Chartres cathedral (n=14) and the Sainte-Chapelle of Paris (n=8). These Pb samples were first analyzed by LA-ICP-MS to determine their element concentrations (L'Héritier et al, 2016). Then, Pb samples with low Sn contents (< 10 mg kg -1 ), which are unlikely to come from recycling (Wyttenbach et al, 1973), were selected for Pb isotopic analysis.…”

“…The objective is to be able to compare the data in the future (between monuments, after restoration works, and in case of another tragedy). ( 2 A large range of elements were analyzed on the diverse samples collected in NDdP: the elements commonly analyzed in an urban context, such as Cd, Cu, Sb, and Pb (Le Gall et al, 2018;Smith et al, 2019), as well as elements, such as Ag, Sn and Bi, which can be associated with Pb in historical monuments (Sylvilay et al, 2015;L'Héritier et al, 2016;Comite et al, 2019). In addition, to document the signature of Pb used during the first stages of NDdP building, the Pb stable isotope ratio was also measured on "construction" Pb samples from Sainte-Chapelle and Chartres Cathedral, monuments contemporaneous to NDdP whose roofs have already burnt down (Shelby, 1981;Cohen, 2008).…”