Abstract
Abstract. A case study to evaluate the use of microfading spectrometry (MFS) for the study of colored systems found in prehistoric rock art paintings was conducted in the Cova Remígia rock-shelter, Castellón (Spain). This rock shelter is part of the rock art sites of the Mediterranean basin on the Iberian Peninsula included in UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Some of the paintings belonging to this group are exposed to environmental factors including natural daylight, wind and rain, depending on the time of the day and the season of the year. Therefore, their preservation is a major concern to stakeholders and researchers responsible for protecting and studying these prehistoric paintings. The experimental work in Cova Remigia focused on measuring the reflectance curves (400-700 nm) and determining the photostability of various areas containing red and black pigments on the rock art paintings. The preliminary results indicate that MFS is a suitable technique for studying the response to light of rock/pigment systems found in rock art sites. The advantages and limitations of the technique are discussed.
Highlights
A case study to evaluate the use of microfading spectrometry (MFS) for the study of colored systems found in prehistoric rock art paintings was conducted in the Cova Remígia rock-shelter, Castellón (Spain)
The preliminary results indicate that MFS is a suitable technique for studying the response to light of rock/pigment systems found in rock art sites
The preservation of prehistoric rock art paintings is a priority to cultural heritage professionals around the world since some of these sites are exposed to environmental elements, which can accelerate their degradation increasing the risk of losing such a valuable piece of information of past societies
Summary
The preservation of prehistoric rock art paintings is a priority to cultural heritage professionals around the world since some of these sites are exposed to environmental elements, which can accelerate their degradation increasing the risk of losing such a valuable piece of information of past societies. Climate changes are having and will continue to have an impact on the rates of degradation of cultural heritage sites including open-air shelters containing rock art (Brimblecombe et al, 2011). It is known that warming temperatures, higher seasonal variable precipitation, and increased wind speeds have adverse effects on these open-air shelters. Local factors are responsible for accelerating the deterioration and may include moisture conditions and composition and properties of soils (Giesen et al, 2014). It is hoped that this research will contribute to the development of a reliable protection plan that takes into account the potential damaging effect of sunlight acting in conjunction with other expected local and global environmental threats
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