Diagnosis for the analysis and the restoration of archaeological heritage

The definition of interdisciplinary methods of diagnosis constitute a valid instrument for the knowledge and the restoration of archaeological materials.

The equipment present at the Lecce branch (x-ray diffractometer, mercuric porosimeter, ESEM-Environmental Scanning Electronic Micropscope) are specially utilized for research on stony materials and on the quarries from which the materials come.

The formation is being developed in the ambit of Project Dedalo, activated by PASTIS (Ionian-Salentine Scientific Technological Park) financed by MIUR in collaboration with IBAM. Based on this the International School of diagnostics for the analysis and the restoration of archaeological goods is in the activation process.

In Catania, in collaboration with the Department of Nuclear Engineering of the Polytechnic University in Misurata, neutron activation methodologies are being applied, with equipment that uses a source of Pu-Be neutrons for the determination of the content in Ag of the coins of the treasure of Misurata, in Libya.

In collaboration with ITABC of CNR however the portable equipment being used is the spectrometer for X-ray flourescence examination.