Analyzing an Ancient City: Non-invasive Studies of Ostia Antica Archeological Park s Wall Paintings

Eleonora Del Federico, Paolo Tomassini, Bernhard Blümich, Costanza Cucci, Marcello Picollo, Domenico Miriello, Giacomo Chiari, Hilary Becker, Jan Bader, Daniel Krueger, Jen Anders, Jurgen Frick, M. Ramsey, S.Wong, S. Burry, K. Fallon, M. Urbanek
Abstract:
Roman wall paintings at the archeological site of Ostia Antica dating from the 1st century BCE to the 4th century CE were studied in an integrated non-invasive approach using portable instrumentation, namely: Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), Hyperspectral Imaging (HSI), X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF), Visible Induced Luminescence (VIL), External Reflectance Fourier-Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy (ER-FTIR), Raman and Near Infrared (NIR) Spectroscopies. The objective of this study is threefold: to investigate the materials and techniques of wall paintings at Ostia Antica in order to gain insight into the evolution of the use of materials and painting techniques over time, the testing of novel instrumentation in archeological contexts such as portable HSI and the recently developed NMR hardware and stratigraphy protocols, as well as to aid in the conservation efforts at the site by providing information on the material composition of the walls. Some of the main results of four campaigns dating 2019-2023 are presented.
Download:
IMEKO-MetroArchaeo-2023-025.pdf
DOI:
10.21014/tc4-ARC-2023.025
Event details
IMEKO TC:
TC4
Event name:
TC4 MetroArchaeo 2023
Title:

IMEKO TC4 International Conference on Metrology for Archaeology and Cultural Heritage

Place:
Rome, ITALY
Time:
19 October 2023 - 21 October 2023