Meeting Report: Synchrotron Radiation in Art and Archeology 2006

Abstract

Archeometry and conservation science are two emergent fields in materials science with an increasing demand of access to SR-based techniques such as X-ray fluorescence, X-ray diffraction, X-ray imaging and IR spectroscopy. These two fields deal with the investigation of the exact nature of art and archeological objects, the provenance of the materials, their dating, and also their alteration processes and preservation procedures. Materials concerned are as various as metals, minerals, pigments, glasses, ceramics, biomaterials, and organic materials. Characteristic features of the materials are often trace elements or minor phases. In addition, art and archeological objects are very complex and often composed of heterogeneous materials. Organic and inorganic materials can be intimately mixed from the macro- to the nanoscale. Surface layers formed by complex degradation processes show a different chemical composition and structure with respect to the bulk of the objects. Conservators and archeologists obviously prefer non-destructive or at least micro-destructive methods for the analysis of their materials and objects. Therefore, the analysis of art and archaeological objects represents a real challenge for materials science. Synchrotron radiation techniques, especially those with microbeams, provide powerful new tools to interrogate the records of our physical and cultural past.