Category: Laboratory

THE ARCHAEOMETRIC ANALYSIS OF COINS BETWEEN ENQUIRY AND INTERPRETATION WITH THE SUPPORT OF EXPERIMENTAL ARCHAEOLOGY

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The archaeometric analysis carried out on the coins of the neumed project are almost completed. The large amount of data is providing useful information to answer at historical-numismatic questions. In particular, the use of different types of analytical techniques hallowed us to study the archeological samples from all points of view. Now, we are able to know information about the provenance of the metal and the ore source, the production technology and the alterations products. The interpretation of the datasets… Continue reading

X-radiography of metal finds from the site of Vetricella

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X-radiography is a rapid non-destructive technique that enables to read artefact form and structure beneath corrosion layers and burial accretions, providing a long-term visual record of inherently unstable and potentially deteriorating materials. While x-radiography alone cannot identify artefact composition, it can however offer evidence as to the nature of the material or materials, constituting an aid in subsequent microstructural analysis informing on the possible choice of sampling area according to parts of interest and local condition. Furthermore, a radiograph may… Continue reading

First studies on cases of congenital anemia from the skeletal sample from Vetricella

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Duriung the recent Archaeorganics international conference, we emphasized the role of stable isotope analysis in the differential diagnosis of anemia. The sample of individuals from the medieval cemetery of Vetricella presents high percentages of porotic hyperostosis, in the two forms of cribra cranii and cribra orbitalia (Walker et al., 2009). This alteration may be due to anaemic states with different aetiologies, such as inherited hemolytic anaemia, due to infectious or parasitic diseases, iron deficiency anaemia or megaloblastic anaemia. Therefore, a… Continue reading

Ostracod analyses on sediments from the Vetricella ditch and the cores drilled in the Pecora and Cornia valleys

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At the Institute of Environmental Geology and Geoengineering of the CNR, the analyses of the ostracod associations occurring in the ad hoc sampled sediments from the Vetricella ditch and from the cores drilled in the alluvial plains of the Pecora and Cornia rivers are in progress. Ostracods are small crustaceans (average length 1 mm) with the body enclosed between two calcareous valves. These are the fossils found in sediments. They can live in all aquatic environments, from the deep sea… Continue reading

Numismatic survey update and archaeometric technique integration

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The bibliographic survey of the numismatic finds from Tuscany within the ERC nEU-Med project, related to the period between the 7th and mid-14th century, aimed at the creation of a finds database (and their relative context), has almost reached completion. At the same time, the insertion of unpublished numismatic material found at the sites investigated by the Department of History and Cultural Heritage from the sites of Miranduolo, Campiglia M.ma, Canonica di S. Niccolò, Castel di Pietra, Cugnano, Donoratico, Montemassi,… Continue reading

Woodland use in the Early Middle Ages in Tyrrenian southern Tuscany

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The archaeo-anthracological analyses carried out in nEU-Med project laboratory in collaboration with Laboratorio di Storia della Vegetazione e Anatomia del Legno (Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Università di Napoli Federico II) have been completed and involved a sample of over 4000 charcoals from the archaeological site of Vetricella. The data acquired allow us to rewrite the history of vegetation and woodland use in the southern Tuscany between 8th and 13th centuries. The areas now occupied by Mediterranean evergreen vegetation (Fig.) were… Continue reading

Historical aerial photography and digital photogrammetry

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The historical aerial photographs, especially those which date back earlier than the 1950’s, are an excellent source for reconstructing the evolution of the landscapes and discovering their archaeological potential. Even though in northern Maremma the first hydarulic reclamations, which took place by drying up or backfilling, began at the end of the 18th century, it was the agrarian reform of 1950 that caused the most radical changes to the landscape. The policy of land reclamation led to the shattering of… Continue reading

The application of CT to a case of amputation and healing from Vetricella

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A male individual from the cemetery of Vetricella shows an evident well-healed amputation of the distal end of the right lower limb. Amputation appears to be the result of medical treatment and cases, such as these of survival with an amputated limb in pre-antibiotic era are rare in the anthropological literature. For this study it is essential to analyze the CT (computed tomography) of the lower limbs, recently acquired with a Siemens SOMATOM Scope CT scanner (Fig.1-2). Images of each… Continue reading

The study of the glass finds from the site of Vetricella

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During the excavation campaigns of the site of Vetricella, glass finds of considerable importance were found. The total number of fragments found is 168. In addition to the traditional tableware such as cups, glasses and bottles, a small number of ampoules and lamps, traditionally used as liturgical objects used within ecclesiastic buildings, were also found. The most particular objects, however, are typified by blue glass cups with white appliques and a large number of chalices with both smooth and twisted… Continue reading