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In this paper we present the results of imaging studies of ancient Egyptian metallic artifacts using micro-Computed Tomography (micro-CT). Micro-CT is a non-destructive imaging method with high spatial resolution, which enables the examination of the internal structure of objects. It is thus especially suitable for the investigation of cultural heritage and archaeological findings, when it is not possible to sample or difficult to manipulate the object. Using specialized software for 3D visualization and segmentation, data sets of two objects were analyzed. We gained a clear view of the inner structure of a metallic archaeological artifact from the necropolis of Abusir el-Meleq, which is believed to be very ancient in the Egyptian archaeological context (from the Predynastic Era), and were able to distinguish its different omponents under the thick layers of external concretions. These components give hints about the production technology of the object. We also investigated the contents of a closed metal box found near Abusir dated to the Late/Greco-Roman Period. The identified Content corresponds either to sediments or to mineral remains of the original content of the box. Both artifacts are from excavations conducted in Egypt and are part of the archeological collection of the Ägyptisches Museum und Papyrussammlung in Berlin.
New analyses of a series of very rare silverpoint drawings that were executed by Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn (16061669) which are kept today in the Kupferstichkabinett (Museum of Prints and Drawings) of the State Museums of Berlin are reported here. Analysis of these drawings requires particular attention because the study has to be fully non-destructive and extremely sensitive. The metal alloy on the paper does not exceed some hundreds of µg/cm². Therefore, synchrotron radiation induced X-ray fluorescence (SR-XRF) is together with external micro-proton-induced X-ray emission the only well-suited method for the analyses of metalpoint drawings. In some primary work, about 25 German and Flemish metalpoint drawings were investigated using spatially resolved SR-XRF analysis at the BAMline at BESSY. This study enlarges the existing FrenchGerman database of metalpoint drawings dating from the 15th and 16th centuries, as these Rembrandt drawings originate from the 17th century where this graphical technique was even rarer and already obsolete. It also illustrates how SR-XRF analysis can reinforce art historical assumptions on the dating of drawings and their connection.
Archaeological bone, ivory and antler, as well as objects manufactured from them, are largely studied to extract as much information as possible from these materials. Among others, one key question in archaeology is the exact identification of the material. Even if the identification of different kinds of osseous material seems to be trivial in many cases, it can be a difficult issue when small, heavily carved and more or less altered ancient objects are concerned. This study was focused on the determination of parameters allowing the distinction of archaeological ivory, bone and antler in order to identify the raw material used for the manufacture of prehistoric objects. The high performance of synchrotron radiation (SR) and laboratory-based micro X-ray computed tomography (microCT), providing highly resolved three-dimensional information on the micromorphology, permitted the establishment of such distinctive features of modern references of ivory, antler, land mammal and whale bones: ivory shows characteristic tubular pores with a diameter of about 1 to 2 µm, bone and antler show typical osteon structures. In our measured references, antler shows on average larger and more elongated shaped pores of the osteons compared to terrestrial mammal bone. This feature however depends very much on the original localization of the studied sample within the antler. Whale bones can be distinguished from the other osseous materials by a cancellous, osteoporotic-like structure with irregularly distributed rounded porosities with diameters reaching up to 500 µm. These characteristics have also been tested on determined Palaeolithic fragments, as diagenetic changes during burial have to be considered and may lead to the modification of the parameters established on the basis of modern bone references. In general, the chemical composition of bone objects can change drastically over time while micromorphological features, as evidenced by microCT, seem to be less susceptible to such alterations. In addition, microCT enables the comparison of inner and possibly less altered parts of the objects, and can be considered as completely non-destructive for small mineralised prehistoric objects. In this study, specific morphological features allowing the distinction of ivory and of whale bone from other bone and antler material were determined, even for altered materials dating back to Palaeolithic periods. Thus, we provide, in addition to archaeozoological, chemical and isotopic markers, a new non-destructive tool to identify some raw materials used for the fabrication of osseous objects ranging from recent to prehistoric periods.
The Final Gravettian level (level 2) of the abri Pataud (Dordogne, France) yielded a large assemblage of body ornaments that consists essentially of 85 quite standardized rectangular beads. Some uncertainty remained about the raw material in which these small beads were made: mammoth ivory, reindeer antler or bone? Non-invasive methods were employed in order to determine the raw material. First chemical analyses using microbeam Proton Induced X-ray Emission analysis (microPIXE) did not enable us to conclude definitively. Therefore, synchrotron and laboratory X-ray microtomography (microCT) were applied on eight beads and allowed us to identify ivory for all of them except for one, which shows slightly different morphological features.