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Disclosing Colors and Pigments on Archaeological Objects from the Aga Khan Necropolis (West Aswan Egypt) through On-Site Analytical Methods: Preliminary Results

Authors :
Paola Fermo
Chiara Andrea Lombardi
Alfonsina D’Amato
Vittoria Guglielmi
Benedetta Giudici
Alice Tomaino
Massimiliana Pozzi
Valeria Comite
Andrea Bergomi
Lorenzo Guardiano
Patrizia Piacentini
Source :
Heritage, Vol 7, Iss 9, Pp 4980-4996 (2024)
Publication Year :
2024
Publisher :
MDPI AG, 2024.

Abstract

The present study is aimed at the characterization of artifacts excavated in the necropolis surrounding the mausoleum of the Aga Khan in Aswan (Egypt), as part of the Mummies Investigations Anthropological & Scientific West Aswan Necropolis (MIASWAN) project. Four cartonnages and some pottery shards were investigated on-site by means of non-destructive and micro-destructive techniques, such as attenuated total reflection/Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR/FTIR) and visible reflectance spectroscopy Vis-RS). Thanks to the use of these techniques, several pigments employed in the creation of the artifacts were identified. Due to the impossibility of transporting the investigated objects out of Egypt, a first-ever on-site characterization of the artifacts from this important excavation was carried out through scientific methodologies. These extreme conditions made the use of analytical instrumentation very challenging. Nevertheless, several characteristic pigments and hues were successfully identified.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
25719408
Volume :
7
Issue :
9
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Heritage
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.18b23f50df8849bda31b72ba5c224d5e
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage7090235