Scanning electron microscopy has been extensively used for the material characterization of objects of artistic and archaeological importance, especially in combination with energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis (SEM-EDX) [1, 2], and become an indispensable tool in delineating the degradation processes of ancient as well as modern materials in art and archaeology [1].
Rock art is found on...
Synchrotron and neutron imaging are the unique tools that allow non-destructive studies of the internal structure of bulk metal objects. It's very significant for the assessing artifacts preservation, clarifying the manufacturing technology and localization of possible decorative ornaments.
A complex of imaging techniques including X-ray computed tomography, synchrotron radiography and...
Measuring the natural abundance of isotopes and the variations in their ratios in the archaeological hard tissues (such as bones and teeth) can provide important information about the evolution and migration of humans and animals and their origin. Strontium isotopes are among the most effective for characterizing the prehistoric mobility of humans and animals [1]. $^{87}$Sr/$^{86}$Sr isotope...
Lead isotope analysis (LIA) has been rapidly approved by archaeologists as a method for provenance studies of metal artefacts as well as glass, pottery, pigments, etc. [1, 2]. The major advantage of LIA application for provenance studies is that lead isotope ratios do not change during metallurgical processes, which means that the isotope pattern remains constant independent on the temperature...
Lead isotope analysis (LIA) is widely applied by archaeologists as a method for provenance studies of metal artifacts [1, 2]. Nevertheless, there are several issues complicating LIA interpretation of archaeological artefacts, including following [2]: 1) ore deposits can have identical or overlapping isotope compositions, even when they are geographically far apart; 2) the recycling of scrap...
Metal threads are strips of metal used either as an independent thread, or twisted around a silk core. They have been used to decorate textiles since ancient times. Typical sizes of threads of 16-17th centuries were 130-420 um width and 3-15 um thickness. A base metal was copper or silver. Some of threads were gilded on two or only one side.
All known publications [1, 2, 3, etc.] agree that...
The hoard near the village of Sosnovaya Maza in the Saratov region in the Lower Volga was found in 1901. The Sosnovaya Maza hoard mostly contains sickles (44 in total) but also celts, daggers and fragments. Practically all artifacts of this assemblage are kept in the State Historical Museum in Moscow, several items from the assemblage are now in the Saratov local lore museum and the Khvalynsk...
Strontium isotopes are used in archaeology, ecology, forensics, and other disciplines to study the origin of artefacts, humans, animals and food items. Strontium in animal and human tissues such as bone and teeth originates from food and drink consumed during life, leaving an isotopic signal corresponding to their geographical origin (i.e. where the plants grew, the animals grazed and the...
The large ceramic antique sculpture from the Kerch Bay was studied in detail by the use of modern minimally invasive techniques. Radiocarbon calibrated date of the resin sample selected from the surface of the sculpture was established within V$^{th}$ century BC. The study of provenance of the lead taken from the terracotta cavity was carried out using different modern techniques such as trace...
The results of a comprehensive study of red wax pendant seals attached to the Russian documents of the late 15th - early 18th centuries are presented. Seals of adjacent territories were used for comparison of dyeing technologies for Western European and Russian wax seals.
Since the seals included a variety of organic and inorganic materials according to historical recipes, the set of methods...
In the framework of collaboration with the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences and FLNP, JINR experiments to study the materials found during archaeological excavations were conducted. The measurements were carried out at the IREN facility in FLNP. The method of neutron resonance capture analysis was used to determine the elemental composition of the samples. The...
