Geological Materials and Cultural Heritage through the Millennia

A special issue of Quaternary (ISSN 2571-550X).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2023) | Viewed by 5848

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Guest Editor
Department of Mathematical and Computer Sciences, Physical Sciences and Earth Sciences, University of Messina, 98166 Messina, Italy
Interests: Raman spectroscopy; geochemistry; source-to-sink sedimentary dynamics; environmental mineralogy; mineral pigments; CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) methodology
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

An important part of what gives an artifact or a building character and a sense of belonging is the history they represent. One way of acknowledging this history is by understanding the materials' values, their sources, their diffusion through trade and use, and the processes behind their manufacturing or building. These peculiar features may be an example of a particular style of architecture, represent a significant era, represent superb craftsmanship and exquisite artistic features that were achieved during a significant period, or also represent a milestone in a city’s history. These historical and cultural heritages are worth preserving for an endless number of reasons. Old artifacts or buildings are witnesses to a society’s aesthetic and cultural history, helping to give people a sense of place and connection to the past.

Historical and cultural heritage is often created with unique, valuable geomaterials. These were used over space and time as implements, ornaments, pigments, building materials, and raw materials for metals, ceramics, and other processed products. They may have detailing and features that cannot be found anymore.

Accordingly, this Special Issue welcomes research and review papers on the subject of the characterization of geomaterials and their use in art and architecture through the millennia. In this context, particular attention will be given to contributions on, but not restricted to, the following topics:

  • Archaeomineralogy
  • Geoarchaeology
  • Archaeometallurgy
  • Petroarchaeology
  • Archaeometry
  • Gemology and archaeogemology
  • Ancient literary sources on gems
  • Mineral pigments
  • Gems and gemstones
  • Ancient mortars
  • Obsidian, glass, and vitreous materials
  • Pottery and ceramics
  • Stones in architecture
  • Provenance studies
  • Spectrometric methods for geomaterials
  • Mineralogical and geochemical methods for geomaterials
  • Dating methods

Dr. Sebastiano Ettore Spoto
Guest Editor

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

10 pages, 3842 KiB  
Article
Evidence of Copper and Iron Deposits of the Protohistoric City of Temesa
by Virgilio Vecchio, Maurizio Cannatà, Edoardo Proverbio, Elpida Piperopoulos, Lorenzo Torrisi and Letteria Silipigni
Quaternary 2023, 6(1), 18; https://doi.org/10.3390/quat6010018 - 7 Mar 2023
Viewed by 1987
Abstract
With the name ‘Temesa’ (Latin Tempsa), the ancients identified a settlement located along the Tyrrhenian coast of Calabria, cited by sources as an international metal exchange emporium. The town is mentioned by Homer as being famous in the ancient world for the production [...] Read more.
With the name ‘Temesa’ (Latin Tempsa), the ancients identified a settlement located along the Tyrrhenian coast of Calabria, cited by sources as an international metal exchange emporium. The town is mentioned by Homer as being famous in the ancient world for the production of bronze, and in the I century A.D. Strabo wrote that there were rich copper mines near the city. Many years of study led to the recognition of Temesa as a complex urban system located between the Oliva and Savuto rivers, near Amantea. To confirm this hypothesis, we searched, in the surrounding rocky outcrops, for the presence of minerals useful for the extraction of iron and copper. Samples of 3 different rock stratifications were taken near the protohistoric settlement of Serra Aiello. The observation under an polarized reflected light microscope and the X-ray diffraction patterns revealed the presence of many minerals useful for the extraction of iron and copper in every sample. The heating of samples under both oxidizing and reducing conditions helped us to better quantify copper and iron minerals content causing, at the same time, the appearance of a marked paramagnetic behavior that could be associated with the presence of goethite. X ray fluorescence analysis showed a high concentration of iron and a low copper content. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geological Materials and Cultural Heritage through the Millennia)
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20 pages, 5663 KiB  
Article
The Evaluation of Non-Destructive Tests for the Strength and Physical Properties of Granite, Marble, and Sandstone: A Case Study from North Pakistan
by Waqas Ahmed, Niaz Ahmad, Hammad Tariq Janjuhah, Ihtisham Islam, Muhammad Sajid and George Kontakiotis
Quaternary 2023, 6(1), 4; https://doi.org/10.3390/quat6010004 - 4 Jan 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3151
Abstract
Nondestructive tests, commonly employed in rock mechanics, estimate mechanical parameters without affecting the rocks in situ properties. This study evaluates non-destructive tests (ultrasonic pulse velocity and Schmidt hammer) for forecasting the strength and physical properties of commonly used rocks. Weathering grades and moisture [...] Read more.
Nondestructive tests, commonly employed in rock mechanics, estimate mechanical parameters without affecting the rocks in situ properties. This study evaluates non-destructive tests (ultrasonic pulse velocity and Schmidt hammer) for forecasting the strength and physical properties of commonly used rocks. Weathering grades and moisture content are provided as variables that produce variances in both non-destructive tests. The coefficient of determination (R²) and subsequent empirical equations for the best-fit trend line are calculated using a simple regression method. The ultrasonic pulse velocity is found to be more efficient in estimating most of the physical properties (specific gravity, porosity, water absorption, and dry density) of granite, marble, and sandstone, with high correlation coefficients. Whereas the Schmidt hammer is found to be more reproducible in determining the strength (compressive and tensile) of granite, marble, and sandstone. The student’s t-test proved the sensitivity and correctness of the acquired equations from the suggested correlations, and agreement was established between measured and estimated plots of strength and physical properties. Although the student’s t-test confirms that the performance of all empirical models established in this study are significant, any non-destructive test with a low R² value should be used with caution when estimating the studied properties. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geological Materials and Cultural Heritage through the Millennia)
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