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Minerals
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Archaeometric Implications of Minerals
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Archaeometric Implications of Minerals

A special issue of Minerals (ISSN 2075-163X). This special issue belongs to the section "Crystallography and Physical Chemistry of Minerals & Nanominerals".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 December 2019) | Viewed by 5076

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Roberto Giustetto

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Turin, via Valperga Caluso 35, 10125 Torino, Italy
Interests: cultural heritage; archaeometry; pigments; nano-composite materials; X-ray diffraction; FT-IR spectroscopy; Raman; SEM-EDS

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Archaeometry is a multidisciplinary research field, focused upon the application of scientific methods to the analysis of artworks and archaeological materials. In this context, the study of mineralogy in its various branches can play a fundamental and strategic role, as most minerals enter the composition—as main and accessory constituents—of objects related to cultural heritage.

Some ancient inorganic artefacts (e.g., pigments, mortars, ceramics, metals, and glass) are mainly composed of crystalline and/or amorphous phases. In light of this, fundamental issues such as the nature of their constituent materials, their provenance and technical procedures aimed at their manufacturing, their possible weathering, and related conservation issues are intimately linked with the processes that rule the formation, evolution, and transformations of mineral phases. Scientific approaches used for the in-depth study of minerals can thus be applied as well to the archaeometric study of cultural heritage, in terms of characterization, technological features, dating, degradation, and preservation.

This Special Issue will focus on the application of mineral-related disciplines to the analysis of cultural heritage items, such as artworks, ancient artefacts, archaeological materials, and historical buildings. Papers centered on these themes, discussing up-to-date methodological studies on materials of historical and artistic relevance, will be welcomed.

Prof. Dr. Roberto Giustetto
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Minerals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Cultural Heritage
  • Archaeometry
  • Characterization
  • Conservation
  • Degradation
  • Mineral-Science

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 5405 KiB  
Article
Paint Relics on Middle Age Building Stones as Proxies of Commercial Routes and Artistic Exchanges: A Multi-Analytical Investigation
by Simona Scrivano, Laura Gaggero and Elisa Volpe
Minerals 2019, 9(11), 663; https://doi.org/10.3390/min9110663 - 28 Oct 2019
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2636
Abstract
Fifty-four pieces out of 356 marble pieces deriving from the decorative and architectonic apparatus of the medieval monastic complex of S. Francesco of Castelletto (Genoa, Italy) preserve traces of varicolored paint layers. Microscopic samples of green, blue, red, pink, white, and yellow paint [...] Read more.
Fifty-four pieces out of 356 marble pieces deriving from the decorative and architectonic apparatus of the medieval monastic complex of S. Francesco of Castelletto (Genoa, Italy) preserve traces of varicolored paint layers. Microscopic samples of green, blue, red, pink, white, and yellow paint relics were collected by scalpel and analyzed by means of Scanning Electron Microscope coupled with Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), µ-Raman, and Fourier Transform Infra-Red Spectroscopy with Attenuated Total Reflection (FTIR-ATR), to characterize pigments and binders. The combined results from the different techniques allowed verification that stone decoration in Genoa during the Middle Ages encompassed a calcite groundwork and the use of a mixture of oils and proteins (probably egg) to apply pigments. The assemblage of impurities within the pigment has been correlated with the provenance sites along the commercial continental (Hungary and France) and maritime (Sardinia, Cyprus, or Veneto) routes between the 13th and 15th centuries. Moreover, the investigation of the painted layer improved the characterization of the decorative techniques in use in Genoa during the Middle Ages. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Archaeometric Implications of Minerals)
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16 pages, 6979 KiB  
Article
Methodological Approach to Reconstructing Lost Monuments from Archaeological Findings: The San Francesco di Castelletto Church in Genoa
by Simona Scrivano, Laura Gaggero and Elisa Volpe
Minerals 2019, 9(10), 569; https://doi.org/10.3390/min9100569 - 20 Sep 2019
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2167
Abstract
Throughout history, natural hazards, wars, political changes and urban evolution have contributed to the obliteration of outstanding monuments. The study of their remains, frequently recovered as archaeological findings, can be the basis for a reconstruction of the lost structures, by way of their [...] Read more.
Throughout history, natural hazards, wars, political changes and urban evolution have contributed to the obliteration of outstanding monuments. The study of their remains, frequently recovered as archaeological findings, can be the basis for a reconstruction of the lost structures, by way of their size, function, decoration and stylistic evolution. The present study developed a multidisciplinary approach to gather and interpret archaeological fragments and archive sources, in order to gain as much information as possible on “lost monuments”. The approach was tested with remnants (i.e., several hundreds of marble fragments found during archaeological excavations) of the monastic complex of San Francesco di Castelletto (Genoa), which was demolished after the Napoleonic suppressions. A preliminary organisation of the sample set was attained through cataloguing shape, size, and decoration. After this, a comparison with similar complexes still existing in Genoa allowed the inference of the age and specific ornamental functions for the majority of the pieces. Surface analysis, carried out in situ (portable microscope) and on micro-samples (petrographic analysis and SEM-EDS), allowed the characterisation of the materials (e.g., assessing marble provenance and identifying pigments). As a whole, the method evolved into an operational protocol, which helped both the organisation of the archaeological findings and the reconstruction of unknown phases of the lost monument. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Archaeometric Implications of Minerals)
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