by icia icia

Objectives:
The purpose of the project is to substantiate and apply scientifically technical investigative methods in the archaeological artifacts, historical and architectural field which are subject to destructive action of natural and anthropogenic agents, in order to identify the opportunities for improvement and restoration of cultural heritage.

OBJECTIVES The purpose of the project is to substantiate and apply scientifically technical investigative methods in the archaeological artifacts, historical and architectural field which are subject to destructive action of natural and anthropogenic agents, in order to identify the opportunities for improvement and restoration of cultural heritage. Artifacts are objects considered a result of human activities that give valuable information on manufacturing technology and their use. They provide the necessary data to obtain results of historical and archaeological nature and details regarding the origin or production technique of archaeological objects.
Through the research activities developed on MNU-Alba Iulia artifacts the project aims to achieve the following objectives:

  • to develop and adjust the procedures of destructive, cvasidistructive, nondestructive, geological analysis in order to study the various kinds of artifacts affected by natural and anthropogenic destructive agents;
  • to improve the analysis procedures applied to items of heritage in order to obtain some comprehensive quantitative and qualitative analytical information necessary to identify the nature and causes of health/conservation items damages;
  • to determine the composition and structure of the artifacts in order to establish the source of support materials (provenience) and raw materials, the results being necessary in order to determine the subsequent restoration interventions;
  • to identify the original techniques to produce the artifacts, using compatible materials and restoration techniques;
  • to authenticate the studied objects depending on the structure/composition and conservation status of non-invasive components and also to present common characteristics by artifact categories (eg coins, axes, pottery, sculptural pieces of stone, etc.);
  • to capitalize the information obtained from non-destructive analysis and tests applied on the museum objects subject to degradation processes and aging in order to conserve and maintain the cultural heritage;
  • to participate and organize scientific meetings, to have access to national and international computer networks.
    The accomplishment of this project with impact on preserving the heritage values involves complex multidisciplinary research activities and collaboration between scientific researchers specialized in various fields (chemistry, physics, geology, electronics, etc.) and archaeologists specialized in preservation and restoration. Archaeological cultural study is done by rebuilding, based on data obtained through systematic research.
DESCRIPTION The collaboration between archaeologists and historians with researchers from different fields became a necessity at national and European level due to the fact that the information obtained are used for: restoring the artifacts from museums, testing the authenticity of objects, highlighting various historical and archaeological results (trade, conflicts, religious exchanges).
In order to restore the art objects, historical monuments and existing heritage, the collaboration between museums and specialists from various scientific fields who can provide analytical methods and physicochemical performance expertise is necessary, interdisciplinary becoming a necessity both at European and national levels. “Application of sciences in art and archeology” belongs to archaeometry. In case of metal objects investigation, the scientific branch is entitled “archaeometallurgy” and the correlation of archeological information with geological data from field and results of different laboratory analysis is known as “Geo-Archaeological,” petro-arheometry “or” petroarcheology.
Within this project, appropriate physicochemical nondestructive, quasi-destructive, destructive, mineralogical, petrographical methods will be developed in order to study the mobile and immobile heritage artifacts from Roman necropolis from Apulum (Museum of Arts, Alba Iulia) and medieval buildings in Alba Iulia. Analyses will be performed with advanced equipment and will reflect the conservation state of restored or preserved objects within museum. The categories of historical archaeological and architectural artifacts which are studied are made of metal, stone, ceramic (enamel, glazed) glass, mortars. Also, by analyzing soil composition of heritage objects important clues about the health of heritage objects are discovered.
In the framework of the project, in order to protect cultural heritage were followed:the application of science in art and archeology (Archaeometry);
the correlation of archaeological data and geological data from field with results of different laboratory analysis methods (Geo-Archaeological).A particularly important archaeometry function is the determination of chemical elements and their ratio in an artifact. The complexity of materials used in antiquity and Middle Ages for: manufacture of various objects (ceramics and glass decorative ones); building materials (natural raw or processed stone, bricks, mortars with mineral binders etc.), impose their research from mineralogical and petrographic point of view.
Cultural archaeological study is accomplished by restorations based on archaeological data obtained by systematic technical-scientific research.
RESULTS ESTIMATED
  • studies on the natural destructive and anthropogenic factors, their impact on archaeological, historical and architectural artifacts and the origin of artifacts which will be studied during the project;
  • the optimal non-destructive methods in order to diagnose and conserve the art works from Romania and incorporate the latest technologies in preservation-restoration process;
  • studies of destructive, quasi-nondestructive, nondestructive physico-chemical analysis methods for metals, ceramics, glass, rocks, mortars with mineral binders, soil matrix;
  • methods to analyze the composition, degradation degree, structural changes, raw material sources and methods for artifacts manufacture;
  • ICP-MS, ICP-AES, ICPMS, AL and XRF methods, analysis carried out in order to determine the elements in metal, ceramics and glass objects, rocks, mortars with mineral binders, soil matrix;
  • diffractometric and microscopic methods in order to determine the physical characteristics, structural-textural and composition of metal, ceramics and glass objects, rocks, mortars with binder soil;
  • determining the objects combustion conditions and identifying the combustion temperatures for ceramics;
  • identifying the geologic formations, determining the petrographic and genetic types and identifying geologic formations age;
  • synthesis of scientific and technical investigative methods applied to categories of artifacts;
  • database development with results obtained by analyzing the categories of artifacts taken in the study;
  • conclusions and correlation of the results in order to improve the methods of conservation / restoration to capitalize the cultural heritage;
  • articles, papers, CD presentation, website, round table.
RESULTS OBTAINED

Stage I
Study of destructive agents acting on archaeological and architectural artefacts. Categories of heritage objects – affected by natural and anthropogenic destructive agents, – that will be analyzed in relation to material support and existing conservation status

  1. Determining the destructive action of natural and anthropogenic agents on monuments and archaeological, historical and architectural artefacts in order to identify and improve the opportunities for conservation and restoration of the cultural heritage.
  2. Categorizing the historical artefacts, archaeological and architectural mobile and stationery heritage that will be studied, made of metal, stone, ceramic, (enamel, glazed) glass, mortar, soil (as a cultural matrix).
Other Informations
Attached documents: