The research group deals with physico-chemical characterization of archeological and hystorical materials, such as ceramics and ceramics coatings, glasses, metals, pigments, mortars and plasters, stone materials. The research is aimed at defining production processes, raw-materials provenance, conservation state and degradation processes
The research unit has the following facilities:
Recent case studies
- Mineralogical, Petrographic and Geochemical characterization of marbles and carbonatic rocks from Morocco, Spain and Portugal as possible building materials in Roman sites of Morocco
- Archaeometric study of Late Antique pottery from Italian archaeological sites (Puglia) and of a ceramic repertory from Tell Barri (Syria) ranging in age from Bronze to Iron I-III
- Archaeometric study of coloured glass slabs of the sectilia panels from the Late-Antique site of Faragola, Puglia
- Characterization of pigments and plaster from the Roman site of Thamusida, Morocco
- Non-destructive characterisation of fourteenth century painting by means of molecular spectroscopy and unilateral NMR
- Characterisation of the pigments and evaluation of the alteration products in the fresco: The Maestà of Ambrogio Lorenzetti, S. Augustine church (Siena, Italy)
- Chemical and mineralogical study of pigments and travertine in painted volterran urns
- Experimental study on the features of traditional and modern pigments materials depending on the application typology and firing temperature
- Study of early industrial stained glass of Tuscan, French and American productions mainly to understand the coloration processes
Recently funded research projects
- 2010-2013: “Tecniche avanzate per la conoscenza materica e la conservazione del patrimonio storico artistico” (TEMART): progetto finanziato dalla Regione Toscana (POR FESR 2007 – 2013 ATTIVITA' 1.1 LINEE D'INTERVENTO D), partecipante al gruppo di ricerca dell’Università di Siena
- 2011-2014: “Sviluppo di Indagini Chimiche Applicate al Mantenimento delle Opere e al Restauro (S.I.C.A.M.O.R)”. PAR FAS REGIONE TOSCANA Linea di Azione 1.1.a.3.Ambito disciplinare: Scienze e tecnologie per la salvaguardia e la valorizzazione dei beni culturali. Responsabile Unità di ricerca
- 2004-2006: PRIN progetto di ricerca PRIN 2004 sul tema “Scienze dei materiali antichi: indagini archeometriche e prove sperimentali per la creazione di strumenti di ricerca nello studio della tecnologia produttiva di vetri e vetrine”. Coordinatore dell’Unità di ricerca locale
- 2000-2002: Progetto di interesse nazionale COFIN 2000 sul tema “Sviluppo e applicazione delle metodologie di indagine mineralogiche e petrografiche allo studio dei materiali archeologici”. Coordinatore Nazionale
National and International collaborations
- Giulio Volpe, Maria Turchiano (Dip. Scienze Umane, Univ. Foggia)
- Francesco D’Acapito (GILDA CRG, c/o ESRF BP220, Grenoble, France)
- Emanuele Papi, Fernanda Cavari, Cinzia Leone (Dip. Archeologia, Univ. Siena)
- Aomar Akerraz (Institut National des Science de l’Archéologie et du Patrimoine di Rabat)
- Marco Martini, Emanuela Sibilia (Univ. Milano Bicocca)
- Giuseppe Cruciani, Chiara Dalconi (Univ. Ferrara)
- Salvatore Siano, Marcello Picollo, Susanna Bracci (Istituto di Fisica Applicata "Nello Carrara"-CNR – Firenze)
- Yannis Maniatis (Lab. Archaeometry, Inst. Materials Science “Demokritos”, Atene)
- Jorge Spangenberg (Institut de minéralogie ed géochimie, Université de Lausanne)
- W.A. Kockelmann, (Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, ISIS Facility, Chilton, Didcot, UK)
- R. Rinaldi (Dip. Scienze Terra, Univ. Perugia)
- P. Colomban (Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France)
- M. Vilarigues VICARTE Laboratory, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal
- R. Tykot (Department of Anthropology - University of South Florida, Tampa, USA)
Involved researchers
- Gliozzo Elisabetta
- Cristina Fornacelli (PhD student)
- Giovanna Giorgetti (Technician)
