Raffaele Martorana, Patrizia Capizzi, Calogero Giambrone, Valeria Genco, Lisa Simonello
GPR and ERT surveys in the Giardino dell’Annunziata in Cammarata (Sicily)

A recovery project has recently involved a garden sited in Cammarata (Southern Sicily), known as Giardino dell Annunziata adjacent to the church of the same name (Chiesa dell Annunziata). In this area, according to the scarce historical sources, there was a Benedictine convent, probably demolished in the eighteenth century. As a diagnostical support some geophysical surveys were carried out project in the garden. A 3D geoelectric survey and 36 Ground Penetrating Radar profiles were carried out which made it possible to reconstruct the corresponding 3D models of the subsoil. A large resistive anomaly has been detected, which has no match in the 3D GPR model. showing only minor surface anomalies. The anomalous area can be due to an original flow route of the river, but it cannot be excluded that it is caused by an artificial channel or even underground environments, subsequently filled with landfill material. Archaeological excavations are planned to better clarify the nature of the anomaly.

Vittoria Guglielmi, Patrizia Piacentini, Chiara Andrea Lombardi, Valeria Comite, Andrea Bergomi, Mattia Borelli, Gianluca Carabelli, Alfonsina D'Amato, Paola Fermo, Alice Tomaino
Preliminary multi-spectral imaging investigation on items from the Aga Khan III necropolis, Aswan (Egypt)

This study is aimed at the investigation of several items, including fragments of cartonnages, coming from the Aga Khan III necropolis, in West Aswan (Egypt). This preliminary analysis campaign, whose final goal would be the characterisation of the materials used for making and decorating the findings, was performed by means of multi-band imaging technique. The on-site measurements were performed by using portable instrumentation consisting of a modified camera equipped with different excitation sources and specific filters. The captured multi-band images have allowed the formulation of some preliminary but insightful considerations on the chemical nature of the pigments employed. Especially, the characteristic fluorescence of Egyptian blue, detected by means of VIL (Visible Induced Luminescence) technique, permitted both highlighting its presence/absence on the decorated surfaces and obtaining some fascinating and unique images of the objects on which that pigment was used.

Cristina Cicero, Monia Vadrucci, Claudia Mazzuca, Leonardo Severini, Fulvio Mercuri, Ugo Zammit, Noemi Orazi
The X-ray irradiation as disinfection treatment: the state-of-the-art

Collagen-based materials constitute a significant part of the archival and library heritage. Among all the animal skin-derived substrates, parchment was the principal writing support employed in the western world until the invention and diffusion of paper and printing. However, parchment can suffer biodeterioration processes if preserved under altered conditions. Recently, the possibility of using X-ray irradiation to respond to the demand for new effective and green methods for the mass disinfection of the archival and library heritage has opened up new and interesting perspectives. Different studies have been carried out to characterise eventually induced deterioration as well as the effectiveness of the irradiation treatment employed for disinfection purposes on different series of samples. In particular, modern parchment samples before and after the irradiation treatment, artificially aged parchment and historical and natural biodeteriorated parchment have been investigated after being exposed to the irradiation treatment.
In the present work, a brief review and some new results and perspective have been presented.

Yuri Leite Santos, Evdokia Tema, Patrizia Davit, Diego Elia, Valeria Meirano, Fulvio Fantino, Monica Gulmini
A multidisciplinary investigation of an ancient kiln excavated at Costigliole Saluzzo: new archaeometric and archaeomagnetic results

A multidisciplinary approach gathering archaeology, material sciences and geosciences can provide quality data regarding the characteristics and the production technology of archaeological artefacts beyond traditional archaeological methods. This study presents the integrated results of archaeological, archaeometric and archaeomagnetic analyses applied to an ancient kiln discovered at the archaeological site of Costigliole Saluzzo, in northwest Italy. Small samples of baked clay from the kiln s inner walls and central pillar were used for Fourier transform Infra-Red Spectroscopy and X-Ray Powder Diffraction, as well as for archaeomagnetic analyses in order to infer information about the firing temperatures reached during the kiln s use and to determine the direction of the Earth s magnetic field at the time of its abandonment. These analyses highlighted that a non-calcareous clay source was used for the construction of the kiln while the firing temperatures reached during its use ranged between 700 oC and 900 oC. Such temperatures make the fired clay a suitable recorder of the ancient geomagnetic field, registering the direction of the ancient field during its last firing. In fact, the obtained archaeomagnetic results show that the fired clay samples were characterized by a good magnetic stability and systematic alternating field demagnetization procedures successfully determined the direction of the characteristic remanent magnetization recorded during the last use of the kiln.

Paola Cennamo, Roberta Scielzo, Giorgio Trojsi, Elena Chianese
A study on microclimatic parameters and conservation state: the case of wall paints of the Archeological Site of Baia (Italy)

The present study investigated the correlation between the degradation processes of cultural heritage and environmental phenomena. The case study of this research was a semi-hypogeum room located in the North zone of the Mercury s Sector of the archeological park of Baia, Italy, and the near nymphaeum to highlight any correlations among the two chambers. The main diagnostic techniques used to investigate the environmental parameters were Ion chromatography and Thermography, related to other investigations based on the knowledge of the original materials of the artifacts and the biodeteriogens. Environmental monitoring was carried out too. All the data were then crossed to obtain a full knowledge of the conservative pictures of the rooms, fundamental to finding out the most compatible and effective restoration methodologies to apply in the conservation of room SB-E0-R07.