Conference Presentations by Raffaella De Luca
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Papers by Raffaella De Luca
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Materials Characterization
Abstract Twenty-six samples of mortar used for various construction applications (joint mortars, ... more Abstract Twenty-six samples of mortar used for various construction applications (joint mortars, floor mortars, filling mortars and plasters) were collected from different areas of the archaeological site of Pompeii (Campania - Sothern Italy). The mortar samples belong to various historical periods covering approximately 2000 years, from the 2nd century BC to the post excavation period (18–19th century). The samples were characterized employing Optical Microscopy (OM), X-ray Powder Diffraction (XRPD), X-ray Fluorescence (XRF), Electron Probe Micro Analysis (EPMA) and Raman Spectroscopy. Moreover, image analysis was carried out using JMicroVision software in order to determine the percentages of binder, macropores and aggregate, in terms of crushed ceramic fragments (cocciopesto), rock fragments and monocrystals. The application of these techniques allowed obtaining a complete chemical and minero-petrographic characterization of the samples, which may prove useful for preparing compatible repair mortars for future restoration works. The archaeometric study provided new data on the production technology of the mortars and the analogies and differences observed among the samples, enabled us to distinguish different constructive phases, thus confirming or rebutting the archaeological hypothesis on the dating of some samples. By combining compositional variables through the discriminant analysis, it was also possible to analyse the time evolution of the materials and to construct preliminary multivariate statistical models, helpful to identify the various typologies of mortars used in the different historical periods.
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Geoheritage, 2021
In this work, we present RecoStones, a software tool developed within the SILPI project (acronym ... more In this work, we present RecoStones, a software tool developed within the SILPI project (acronym of “Sistema per l’Identificazione di Lapidei Per Immagini”) and financed by POR Calabria FESR-FSE 2014–2020. RecoStones is a smartphone app able to classify stone materials and to determine their provenance through image recognition techniques. The app was developed using a set of stone materials sampled from different Calabrian quarries with a particular historical and artistic value, and it was directly tested in situ on different local known materials belonging to monuments and buildings of the Calabrian Cultural Heritage. The testing phase confirmed that RecoStones is a useful, smart, and cheap tool which can help geologists and non-geologists, such as restorers, architects, art historians, engineers, and all the staff involved in restoration and conservation projects, to determine the typology of a stone material and its provenance. This work aims also to create the first database o...
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Fibers
Manganese ores, especially the oxyhydroxides in their different forms, are the dominant Mn-bearin... more Manganese ores, especially the oxyhydroxides in their different forms, are the dominant Mn-bearing minerals that occur in marine and terrestrial environments, where they are typically found as poorly crystalline and intermixed phases. Mn oxyhydroxides have a huge range of industrial applications and are able to exert a strong control on the mobility of trace metals. This paper reports the results of a detailed study on the Mn oxyhydroxides occurring in the manganiferous deposit outcropping in the Messinian sediments from Serra D’Aiello (Southern Italy). Nine Mn samples were characterized in detail using X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetry (TG), transmission electron microscopy combined with energy dispersive spectrometry (TEM/EDS), and X-ray fluorescence (XRF). The results indicated that the Mn deposit included the oxyhydroxide mineral species birnessite, todorokite, and rancièite. The size, morphology, and chemical composition ...
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Journal of Archaeological Science
Abstract Hydraulicity is a well-known characteristic of mortars and plasters from the Roman, Late... more Abstract Hydraulicity is a well-known characteristic of mortars and plasters from the Roman, Late Roman, and Medieval periods, while the use of hydraulic mortars in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica and Central Mexico in particular, has not received equal attention. To address this issue, in this paper, we discuss the problem of hydraulicity and suggest a method to study it in Mesoamerican plasters. To prove the effectiveness of this method, we selected plaster samples from the archaeological site of Teotihuacan (Mexico), the main city of Central Mexico during the Classic period. The characterisation of plaster samples confirmed that, similar to other Teotihuacan plasters, they are made of two layers: the outermost layer (enlucido), composed of a mixture of lime and volcanic glass shards, and the underlying layer locally called firme, consisting of crushed volcanic scoria (tezontle) mixed with a mud-based binder. The compositional characterisation of the plasters confirmed their hydraulicity and the combination of microchemical (energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) microchemical analysis), microphysical (Vickers microhardness), and petrographic (optical microscopy) measurements demonstrated that it was not the presence of glass shards in the external plaster layer which produced hydraulicity, as we originally thought. Instead, this was due to the reactivity of the tezontle, present in the lower layer. This suggests that the small thickness of the enlucido layer, in addition to save the amount of lime used, increased its performance, promoting chemical reactions with the tezontle in the contact layer and that the glass shards played another role in the mixture, rather than producing hydraulicity.
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Studies in Conservation
This work presents the results of the study of a fragment of architectural terracruda sculpture f... more This work presents the results of the study of a fragment of architectural terracruda sculpture from the Buddhist archaeological site of Tepe Narenj (Kabul, Afghanistan, fifth-ninth centuries CE) t...
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Minerals
The work shows the results of an archaeometric study performed on fourteen white marble samples f... more The work shows the results of an archaeometric study performed on fourteen white marble samples from the Roman city of Tauriana (Palmi, Reggio Calabria, Italy), belonging to different architectural elements of the Municipal Museum Complex and artifacts reused in the modern town. Samples were studied by optical microscopy (OM), x-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), and isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) of 13C and 18O with the aim to identify their provenance. The comparison between the collected data and the historical ones, concerning the ancient quarries of white marble of the Mediterranean area, allowed us to prove that most of the marbles used in the city of Tauriana were from the Apuan Alps Basin (Carrara) and, in few cases, from Minor Asia (Proconnesos, Aphrodisias, Docimium) and Greek (Thasos and Pentelic) quarries.
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Fibers
Manganese ores, especially the oxyhydroxides in their different forms, are the dominant Mn-bearin... more Manganese ores, especially the oxyhydroxides in their different forms, are the dominant Mn-bearing minerals that occur in marine and terrestrial environments, where they are typically found as poorly crystalline and intermixed phases. Mn oxyhydroxides have a huge range of industrial applications and are able to exert a strong control on the mobility of trace metals. This paper reports the results of a detailed study on the Mn oxyhydroxides occurring in the manganiferous deposit outcropping in the Messinian sediments from Serra D’Aiello (Southern Italy). Nine Mn samples were characterized in detail using X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetry (TG), transmission electron microscopy combined with energy dispersive spectrometry (TEM/EDS), and X-ray fluorescence (XRF). The results indicated that the Mn deposit included the oxyhydroxide mineral species birnessite, todorokite, and rancièite. The size, morphology, and chemical composition ...
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Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2020
This paper presents the results of an archaeometric study performed on white marbles from the shi... more This paper presents the results of an archaeometric study performed on white marbles from the shipwreck of Cala Cicala (Crotone, Calabria, Italy). The stone materials, especially the white marbles, are an excellent tool for reconstructing the trade routes of the past and studying the relationships between ancient populations. The purposes of this study were to establish the provenance of the white marbles of the shipwreck of Cala Cicala (Crotone, Calabria, Southern Italy) and to use analysis of their composition to acquire more knowledge about trade routes in the Roman imperial age. The 35 samples of white marble were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRPD), optical microscopy (OM), and isotopic analysis. All of the archaeometric data collected indicate that the marble blocks in the cargos are from the Greek island of Thasos, in the northern Aegean Sea.
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Minerals
This paper reports the findings of an archaeometric study performed on 14 architectural earthenwa... more This paper reports the findings of an archaeometric study performed on 14 architectural earthenwares from the archaeological site of S. Omobono, located in the historic center of Rome (Italy). The archaeological site, accidentally discovered in 1937, includes the remains of a sacred area previously occupied by two temples, one of which was converted into the church of S. Omobono, in 1575. The samples, dated between the 7th and the 6th century BC, belong to different sectors of the site. Their petrographic, mineralogical and geochemical characterization was performed by optical microscopy (OM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), electron probe micro-analysis (EPMA), and Raman spectroscopy (RS). The compositional data obtained were also subjected to the principal component analysis (PCA) in order to highlight similarities and differences among the samples. By combining geochemical and petrographic data, we were able to identify several different fabrics. Furthe...
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Journal of Cultural Heritage
Abstract The work shows the results of a multi-analytical study performed on twenty-nine brick sa... more Abstract The work shows the results of a multi-analytical study performed on twenty-nine brick samples taken from Hagia Sophia in Istanbul (Turkey). Hagia Sophia, one of the most important historical buildings in the world, has a very complex construction history. This complexity is also reflected in the materials that were used for its construction. The main purpose of this work is to verify whether there are any compositional differences in the bricks used in different historical periods, but also to understand the reasons for any compositional differences between one period and another. The samples were studied by optical microscopy (OM), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), coupled with a new approach, based on the micro-chemical EDS analysis used to obtain information on the clay fraction of the matrix. The study showed that, most probably, the differences between the bricks belonging to the different construction phases are due to the composition of the clays used for their preparation.
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Metals
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In this paper, we propose the application—for the first time in the Mediterranean area—of the com... more In this paper, we propose the application—for the first time in the Mediterranean area—of the combination of the study of chemical residues in floors and ceramics, with the aim of providing information about the activities carried out in archeological buildings. We chose the Garum Shop at Pompeii to test the method. In fact, due to the peculiarity of this archeological context, it provided an ideal case in which the activities performed are in part known, and the ceramic vessels recovered are still in situ. Floor samples were studied by means of spot tests developed in Mexico aimed at identifying the presence of phosphates, fatty acids, and protein residues, while the organic residues preserved in the ceramic matrix of amphorae, dolia, and other ceramic vessels were studied by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. Moreover, we integrated the data obtained with specific studies directed at better identifying the solid residues found inside two of the amphorae studied: bo...
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During the excavations carried out in Via di Mercurio (Regio VI, 9, 3) in Pompeii, in 2015, some ... more During the excavations carried out in Via di Mercurio (Regio VI, 9, 3) in Pompeii, in 2015, some red, green, black, and brown wall painting fragments were found in the preparatory layer of an ancient pavement which was probably built after the 62 AD earthquake. These fragments, derived from the rubble, were used as coarse aggregate to prepare the mortar for building the pavement. The wall painting fragments are exceptionally well preserved, which is an uncommon occurrence in the city of Pompeii. However, as they were enclosed in the mortar, the wall painting fragments were protected from the high temperatures (probably ranging between 180 • C and 380 • C) produced by the eruption in 79 AD. The pigmented outer surface of each sample was analyzed using a non-destructive multi-analytical approach, by combining spectrophotometric colorimetry and portable X-ray fluorescence with micro-Raman spectroscopy. The compositional characterization of the samples revealed the presence of cuproriva...
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Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, 2016
This study shows the results of a multidisciplinary collaboration between the University of Calab... more This study shows the results of a multidisciplinary collaboration between the University of Calabria (Italy) and the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), about the compositional characterization of some mortars taken from Hagia Sophia in Istanbul (Turkey), one of the most important buildings in antiquity. Twenty samples of joint mortars were analysed by micro-chemical analyses (SEM-EDS), X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), optical microscopy (OM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The compositional study allowed us to define, with more detail, the construction phases of the fifth, sixth and tenth century. The petrographic analysis in thin section by optical microscopy showed four typologies of sands, used as aggregate, with specific compositional features. SEM-EDS analyses and TEM observations of the binder around the ceramic fragments of the aggregate showed the presence of different morphologies of single C-S-H compounds.
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Rendiconti Online della Società Geologica Italiana, 2016
This work shows the result of the archaeometric study of artificial materials (bricks and mortars... more This work shows the result of the archaeometric study of artificial materials (bricks and mortars) coming from the Norman-Svevian Castle of Cosenza (Calabria, Italy).The principal aim of the study is to identify and to date the several constructive phases of the building through the comparison between the information coming from the historical and stylistic analysis of the building and the data obtained from the different analytical techniques carried out on the materials. For this reason samples of mortar and brick, coming from different areas of the building, were sampled and analyzed by optical microscopy in polarized light (OM), X-ray powder diffractometry (XRPD) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF).The archaeometric study of these materials, indeed, is very important because it allows to reconstruct the history of ancient buildings, identifying the presence of different manufactures or restoration works and the production technology of the materials.
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Conference Presentations by Raffaella De Luca
Papers by Raffaella De Luca