Methods of Chemical and Physicochemical Analysis in the Identificationof Archaeological and Historical Textiles.

The main problem hindering proper analysis and documentation of archaeological and historical textiles is the lack of co-operation between scientists dealing with different aspects of these objects archaeological, artistic, historical and technological. The last one includes the examining of manufacturing methods and analysis of the raw material and dyes used by chemical and physicochemical analysis methods, which is fundamental for proper identification of the object, as well as its origin and dating. The methods include: SEM, ICP, ATR/FTIR and AAS for determination of the raw material and other components of the object, the archaeological environment, analysis of the biodeterioration of archaeological textiles, as well as HPLC for analysis of the colour. This paper presents the methods and exemplary results of research conducted by the authors at the Technical University of Lodz, involving the analysing of archaeological textiles from the area of Poland and historical textiles from the collections of Polish museums. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]