Nuclear Techniques For Cultural Heritage Research

"Scientific studies of art and archaeology are a necessary complement to cultural heritage conservation, preservation and investigation. Nuclear techniques, such as neutron activation analysis, X ray fluorescence analysis and ion beam analysis, have a potential for non-destructive and reliable investigation of precious artefacts and materials, such as ceramics, stone, metal, and pigments from paintings. Such information can be helpful in repair of damaged objects, in identification of fraudulent artefacts and in the appropriate categorization of historic artefacts."--P. [4] of cover.

The preservation of world cultural heritage is a key issue for maintaining national identity and understanding the influences or exchanges among civilizations throughout history. Development of appropriate preservation techniques that do not compromise longevity or authenticity are therefore of utmost importance. Radiation techniques have demonstrated significant success in the disinfestation and preservation of cultural heritage artefacts, and national and international research programmes have developed harmonized methodologies for such radiation treatment. This publication provides state of the art knowledge on radiation technology applied to the conservation and consolidation of items of cultural heritage and will be of use to collection curators, conservators, restorers, registrars, art historians, archaeologists and conservation scientists active in the various fields of cultural heritage in museums, libraries, archives, archaeological institutions, historical buildings and conservation workshops.

The first of its kind, this series is devoted to the use of physical principles in the study and scientific conservation of objects with cultural heritage significance. It begins with a review of the modern museum, which discusses new techniques employed in the conservation of museum artifacts such as X-ray tomography and other techniques used to study Egyptian mummies, bones and mineralization of bones in the archaeological context, and the degradation of parchment. All of these topics and techniques are essential for the preservation of our history. This includes finding ways to preserve parchment documents and letters, which much of our written heritage is documented on, so that it can be used and understood for generations to come. This book is a must have for any museum as well as any university that teaches or employs the techniques discussed. Written in a style that is readily understandable by conservation scientists, archaeologists, museum curators, and students Provides an introduction to the advanced fields of synchrotron radiation science, neutron science, and computed tomography Outstanding review of the use of modern technology to study museum and archaeological artifacts Offers solutions through advanced scientific techniques to a wide range of problems facing museum staff

Preservation of natural and cultural heritage is often said to be something that is done for the future, or on behalf of future generations, but the precise relationship of such practices to the future is rarely reflected upon. Heritage Futures draws on research undertaken over four years by an interdisciplinary, international team of 16 researchers and more than 25 partner organisations to explore the role of heritage and heritage-like practices in building future worlds. Engaging broad themes such as diversity, transformation, profusion and uncertainty, Heritage Futures aims to understand how a range of conservation and preservation practices across a number of countries assemble and resource different kinds of futures, and the possibilities that emerge from such collaborative research for alternative approaches to heritage in the Anthropocene. Case studies include the cryopreservation of endangered DNA in frozen zoos, nuclear waste management, seed biobanking, landscape rewilding, social history collecting, space messaging, endangered language documentation, built and natural heritage management, domestic keeping and discarding practices, and world heritage site management.

The scientific analysis of cultural heritage materials poses specific and often difficult analytical challenges. This book attempts to rationalize the links between the most commonly asked questions in archaeology, art history, and conservation with the potential answers resulting from the vast array of scientific techniques presently available.

With its wide spectrum of data, case studies, monitoring, and experimental and numerical simulation techniques, the multidisciplinary approach of material, environmental, and computer science applied to the conservation of cultural heritage offers several opportunities for the heritage science and conservation community to map and monitor state-of-the-art knowledge on natural and human-induced climate change impacts on cultural heritage—mainly constituted by the built environment—in Europe and Latin America. Geosciences’ Special Issue titled “Preservation of Cultural Heritage and Resources Threatened by Climate Change” was launched to take stock of the existing but still fragmentary knowledge on this challenge, and to enable the community to respond to the implementation of the Paris agreement. These 10 papers exploit a broad range of data derived from preventive conservation monitoring conducted indoors in museums, churches, historical buildings, or outdoors in archeological sites and city centers. Case studies presented in the papers focus on a well-assorted sample of decay phenomena occurring on heritage materials (e.g., surface recession and biomass accumulation on limestone, depositions of pollutant on marble, salt weathering on inorganic building materials, and weathering processes on mortars in many local- to regional-scale study areas in the Scandinavian Peninsula, the United Kingdom, Belgium, France, Italy, Greece, and Panama). Besides monitoring, the methodological approaches showcased include, but are not limited to, original material characterization, decay product characterization, and climate and numerical modelling on material components for assessing environmental impact and climate change effects.

This book provides an extensive overview of the application of neutron characterization techniques in cultural heritage to a broad audience and will be of interest to both scientists and non-scientists in the field. Archaeologists, paleontologists, restaurateurs and conservators, historians and collectors will be fascinated by the wealth of information that can be obtained using neutron techniques, while material scientists and engineers will find details of the experimental techniques and materials properties that can be determined. Neutrons, due to their weak interactions with materials, provide a penetrating, but non-invasive probe of bulk properties. They allow the characterization of the composition and mechanical properties of materials, helping to answer questions related to the dating, the manufacturing process or the state of degradation of artefacts. They allow detailed interrogation of the internal structures of objects that may be otherwise hidden from view. The first section of the book is dedicated to stories describing spectacular discoveries brought about by the use of neutron techniques in a range of applications. The second section covers the experimental techniques in appropriate detail: basic principles, limitations and fields of application.