Challenges and Advancements in the Cleaning, Conservation and Restoration of Archaeological Small Finds

A special issue of Heritage (ISSN 2571-9408).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2024 | Viewed by 3401

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Institute for the Study of Nanostructured Materials, National Research Council, Rome, Italy
Interests: cultural heritage; corrosion; diagnostic; material science; Raman spectroscopy

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute for the Study of Nanostructured Materials, National Research Council, Rome, Italy
Interests: nanomaterials; photocatalysis; metal oxide nanoparticles stabilized by organic molecules and natural polymers for wastewater treatment application; thin films; metal–organic chemical vapor deposition
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The importance of cultural heritage as an economic and historical resource puts its long-term preservation in the foreground, since, regardless of their diverse nature and composition, works of art are inevitably exposed to recurrent degradation processes. Inappropriate approaches to restoration practice need to be replaced by the development of innovative cleaning and restoration methods that also account for the latest techniques for the conservation of artefacts.

The challenge is to replace arbitrary methods in restoration practice with a methodical search for specialised and useful materials to protect, maintain, and restore art.

This Special Issue aims to address the practice of restoration of small artefacts and their non-invasive cleaning and sustainable conservation to maintain both the physical properties and cultural significance of such objects. Common materials represented include metals, stones, ceramics, glasses, papers, textiles bone and ivory, mortars, concrete, and painted wall plaster.

Accordingly, we propose a Special Issue devoted to the research of innovative cleaning, conservation, and restoration methods for different type of artifacts.  We wish to provide a comprehensive review of techniques currently in use and their potential for advancement. All types of original research articles, mini-reviews, and reviews are welcomed in this Special Issue. Research areas may include the following topics, but are not limited to:

  • Advanced Materials for Cleaning;
  • Advanced Materials for Consolidation;
  • Advanced Materials for Surface Protection;
  • Biotechnological solutions-based conservation and restoration methods;
  • The use of nanomaterials in conservation and restoration techniques;
  • Innovative long-term strategies against alteration agents;
  • Enhancements to the protocols and practices used in current treatments;
  • Case studies using innovative analysis methodologies and intervention strategies.

Dr. Tilde De Caro
Dr. Roberta G. Toro
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Heritage is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • cultural Heritage preservation
  • cleaning
  • consolidation
  • protection
  • advanced materials
  • small finds conservation

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

15 pages, 9474 KiB  
Article
Ancient Roman Coins from the Republican Age to the Imperial Age: A Multi-Analytical Approach
by Caterina De Vito, Martina Bernabale, Carlo Aurisicchio, Fiorenzo Catalli, Laura Medeghini, Silvano Mignardi, Aida Maria Conte and Tilde de Caro
Heritage 2024, 7(1), 412-426; https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage7010020 - 16 Jan 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2649
Abstract
We report here the results of a multi-analytical approach to characterize twelve Roman coins dating from the third century B.C. to fifth century A.D. that were found in the surroundings of Rome and for which the year of minting is determined by numismatic [...] Read more.
We report here the results of a multi-analytical approach to characterize twelve Roman coins dating from the third century B.C. to fifth century A.D. that were found in the surroundings of Rome and for which the year of minting is determined by numismatic analysis. The coins were studied using SEM-EDS, EMPA, XRD, and FTIR techniques, enabling semi-quantitative and quantitative determinations of the chemical and mineralogical composition of the alloys and corrosion products. SEM-EDS analyses highlighted the occurrence of corrosion products on the surfaces and wide chemical variations due to selective enrichment or depletions of the alloying metals. The EMP analyses showed that three of the twelve coins are made of copper (1), one is a copper–tin alloy (2), five are copper–tin–lead alloys with elements in different proportions (3), two are copper–lead alloys (4), and another one is a subaerata coin (5). In addition, the physical parameters of the coins, i.e., density, weight, and diameters, were measured to have an overall characterization. Full article
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