Archaeometric Investigation for Provenance Studies about Copper Metallurgy in the Phoenician and Punic Cultures

The doctoral thesis regards an innovative method based on an elaboration of chemical-physical data in terms of statistics and georeferencing of copper-based alloys artefacts in the Mediterranean and Atlantic regions which underwent the influence of Phoenician-Punic cultures. Fundamental aim of the research is the localization of areas where this influence is evidenced by the presence of artefacts which characteristics can be attributable to Phoenician and Punic presence. The chronological range considered is mostly between the Late Bronze Age (LBA) and the Early and Middle Iron Age (EIA- MIA), even if more ancient and more recent periods have been considered for coparison. The study of Phoenician-Punic archaeological sites, trade routes and the type of bronze processing have been considered broadly throughout the Mediterranean Basin and surrounding areas (but also atlantic and continental areas), leading to the production of databases containing information on archaeological settlements, mines and ore basins, and compositional data coming from literature or obtained from the analyses of bronze artefacts (SEM-EDS and EDXRF analyses), managed through an unprecedented application of Geographic Information System (GIS tool). So the GIS application includes data coming from archaeometric analytical sessions and from analogous researches published on specialised literature, carried out on samples of different typologies. The collected databases were elaborated on the basis of statistics-mathematic methods, in particular Principal Component Analysis (PCA), while frequency distributions and Box-Whisker diagrams have been used for the study of smaller datasets. The production of manufactures (small size metal statuary), connected to religious worship, were addressed in Alentejo, Portugal (Evora and Alcacer do Sal) and in Sardinia, Italy (Cagliari and Sassari). The mining and the production of slags and semi-finished products have been examined for Moroccan area (especially in Meknes Region) while metal artefacts of Roman period from Volubilis archaeological settlement have been analysed in the light of a probable technological conservatism between Punics and Romans. The production of bronze Punic coins was deepened for a private collection (Collection M. Viola) and through the study of Punic and neo-Punic finds in France, Belgium and in lesser extent in Northern continental Europe areas. The results have been interpreted with a unique perspective, so as to allow a new vision on the Phoenician presence an bronze production in the areas where they settled. Further result is the elaboration of a useful tool for the archaeological research that is reproducible in several fields, even different from the ancient metallurgy studies

The Variation of Elastic Modulus and Changes of Structures and Mineral Phases In Rocks as Parameters for the Identification of Fire-Setting in Ancient Mines

The article is focused on the creation of a protocol for the analytical characterization of fire-setting in different types of rock. A set of experiments of heating and cooling have been carried out on different kind of rocks under various conditions and durations in order to record changes in the structures and composition of the samples. This study was set to support the solution of issues in the case of ambiguous identification between structures due to natural events in the rock and artificial exploitation

Les prospections archéométriques et archéologiques

The broadening of the archaeological and topographical knowledge of the mining area of Tighza led the necessity of execution new surveys, where topographers and archaeologists can work together for the construction of an archaeological map of the area

Dall’analisi chimico-fisica un contributo allo studio delle monete antiche

Uno studio comparato e multidisciplinare, che consideri sia l’aspetto storico-archeologico che quello chimico-fisico, può essere facilmente applicato alla numismatica antica poiché la moneta, come oggetto e come documentazione storica, può essere considerata, oltre che dal punto di vista storico e stilistico, anche come un oggetto che racchiude informazioni tecnologiche atte ad essere svelate tramite trattamenti statistici dei dati. Attraverso indagini morfologiche e composizionali è possibile ricavare elementi distintivi che permettono di ottenere classificazioni di dati quali parametri di partenza per una collocazione geo-temporale di reperti monetali. La misurazione delle caratteristiche della moneta, come il peso e il diametro, ma anche l’esame dei bordi e delle facce (al dritto e al rovescio) e l’analisi composizionale, adeguatamente trattati statisticamente, consente l’ottenimento di importanti informazioni che, oltre alle ovvie risultanze storiche e numismatiche in sé, sono attinenti ai seguenti campi di studio: 1) tecniche di produzione, 2) caratterizzazione (tipo di lega metallica), 3) provenienza, 4) datazione indiretta, 5) autenticità. Il lavoro presentato, fornendo una metodologia che si spera possa diventare uno strumento diagnostico in numismatica, vuole evidenziare come analisi scientifiche sui reperti monetali possano fornire indicazioni in direzioni alternative a quella tipologica e storica. Tre casi-studio descrivono come la moneta abbia fornito indicazioni che implementano le informazioni derivanti dal solo contesto numismatico. Il primo riguarda lo studio di autenticità del prezioso reperto in oro di Imera, la “phiale di Achyris”; la phiale mesomphalos (latinopatera umbilicata) è una forma ben attestata nel mondo greco, sia con esemplari in ceramica che metallici della fine del IV e l’inizio del III sec. a.C. Il reperto investigato ha una scritta da cui sono stati tratti importanti suggerimenti per le indagini sulla sua autenticità. Il secondo caso riguarda l’identificazione delle tecniche di coniazione degli Aurei di Sesto Pompeo Magno mentre il terzo riguarda un gruppo di circa 60 monete puniche del tipo testa maschile/cavallo al galoppo, provenienti dalla collezione privata M. Viola, dove le analisi chimico fisiche ed una trattazione statistica delle caratteristiche misurabili delle monete hanno evidenziato particolari interessanti per la loro collocazione storica

La métallurgie du cuivre dans la région de l’Inchiri, en Mauritanie au cours de l’Holocène récent. Etat de la recherche à la lumière des nouvelles recherches menées par le projet franco-mauritanien CUPRUM

Le projet franco-mauritanien CUPRUM, amorcé en 2016, vise à comprendre l’origine et le développement de la métallurgie en Mauritanie au cours de l’Holocène récent. Cette problématique est également le vecteur d’une formation pour les étudiants. Sur la base des travaux archéologiques menées il y a près de 50 ans, le premier quadriennal (2016-2019) s’est attaché à estimer l’importance et la place de la métallurgie dans le district d’Akjoujt, dans la région de l’Inchiri en Mauritanie. Les recherches ont mis en évidence une intense exploitation des ressources métallifères et une occupation anthropique fortement liée à la métallurgie du cuivre. Les sites semblent se répartir selon les nécessités d’accès aux matières premières et ressources naturelles et selon la chaîne opératoire de la métallurgie du cuivre. Sur la base des travaux archéologiques menés il y a plusieurs dizaines d’années, les recherches du programme CUPRUM dans la région de l’Inchiri, dans un rayon de 80 km autour de la ville d’Akjoujt, ont permis de découvrir par prospections de nombreux sites archéologiques : 55 mines anciennes, 11 carrières et minières et plus de 200 sites dont 90 comportant des activités métallurgiques

Appraisal of Ancient Quarries and WWII Air Raids as Factors of Subsidence in Rome: A Geomatic Approach

Ancient mining and quarrying activities left anthropogenic geomorphologies that have shaped the natural landscape and affected environmental equilibria. The artificial structures and their related effects on the surrounding environment are analyzed here to characterize the quarrying landscape in the southeast area of Rome in terms of its dimensions, typology, state of preservation and interface with the urban environment. The increased occurrence of sinkhole events in urban areas has already been scientifically correlated to ancient cavities under increasing urban pressure. In this scenario, additional interacting anthropogenic factors, such as the aerial bombardments perpetrated during the Second World War, are considered here. These three factors have been investigated by employing a combined geomatic methodology. Information on air raids has been organized in vector archives. A dataset of historical aerial photographs has been processed into Digital Surface Models and orthomosaics to reconstruct the quarry landscape and its evolution, identify typologies of exploitation and forms of collapse and corroborate the discussion concerning the induced historical and recent subsidence phenomena, comparing these outputs with photogrammetric products obtained from recent satellite data. Geological and urbanistic characterization of the study area allowed a better connection between these historical and environmental factors. In light of the information gathered so far, SAR interferometric products allowed a preliminary interpretation of ground instabilities surrounding historical quarries, air raids and recent subsidence events. Various sub-areas of the AOI where the presenceof the considered factors also corresponds to areas in slight subsidence in the SAR velocity maps have been highlighted. Bivariate hotspot analysis allowed substantiating the hypothesis of a spatial correlation between these multiple aspects

PMCA-based detection of prions in the olfactory mucosa of patients with Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease

Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) is a rare neurodegenerative disorder caused by the conformational conversion of the prion protein (PrPC) into an abnormally folded form, named prion (or PrPSc). The combination of the polymorphism at codon 129 of the PrP gene (coding either methionine or valine) with the biochemical feature of the proteinase-K resistant PrP (generating either PrPSc type 1 or 2) gives rise to different PrPSc strains, which cause variable phenotypes of sCJD. The definitive diagnosis of sCJD and its classification can be achieved only post-mortem after PrPSc identification and characterization in the brain. By exploiting the Real-Time Quaking-Induced Conversion (RT-QuIC) assay, traces of PrPSc were found in the olfactory mucosa (OM) of sCJD patients, thus demonstrating that PrPSc is not confined to the brain. Here, we have optimized another technique, named protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA) for detecting PrPSc in OM samples of sCJD patients. OM samples were collected from 27 sCJD and 2 genetic CJD patients (E200K). Samples from 34 patients with other neurodegenerative disorders were included as controls. Brains were collected from 26 sCJD patients and 16 of them underwent OM collection. Brain and OM samples were subjected to PMCA using the brains of transgenic mice expressing human PrPC with methionine at codon 129 as reaction substrates. The amplified products were analyzed by Western blot after proteinase K digestion. Quantitative PMCA was performed to estimate PrPSc concentration in OM. PMCA enabled the detection of prions in OM samples with 79.3% sensitivity and 100% specificity. Except for a few cases, a predominant type 1 PrPSc was generated, regardless of the tissues analyzed. Notably, all amplified PrPSc were less resistant to PK compared to the original strain. In conclusion, although the optimized PMCA did not consent to recognize sCJD subtypes from the analysis of OM collected from living patients, it enabled us to estimate for the first time the amount of prions accumulating in this biological tissue. Further assay optimizations are needed to faithfully amplify peripheral prions whose recognition could lead to a better diagnosis and selection of patients for future clinical trials

Monnaies puniques et néo-punique en Gaule Belgique: enquête archéologique / historique à travers l'utilisation des SIG

Etude des types de localisation des découvertes de monnaies puniques et néo-puniques en France, Belgique, Luxembourg, et en d'autres zones du nord-ouest Européen, à travers l'application des systèmes d'information géographique (SIG). L’étude commence par la réalisation d'une base de données des découvertes de monnaies, accompagnées d'informations sur le contexte archéologique et leur datation. Les données complémentaires sur la composition (notamment physico-chimique) des monnaies sont introduites dans la base lorsqu’elles sont disponibles. Le géoréférencement de cette base de données des découvertes nous a permis d'offrir des interprétations numismatiques et archéologiques sur un grand nombre de monnaies, en permettant l’intégration d’informations complémentaires comme la présence de cours d'eau, de sites archéologiques, d’activités navales, de voies terrestres et de mines. L'estimation et l’enregistrement des incertitudes des données saisies permettent également une étude sur les modèles de localisation. De cette manière, il sera possible d'attribuer une potentialité différente aux découvertes accompagnées par leurs informations archéologiques et à l'incertitude de celles qui sont sorties de leur contexte archéologique. Ainsi, il sera possible d'établir des itinéraires de pénétration plus pertinents qui pourront être améliorés lors des enquêtes et des prospections archéologiques futures. Par ailleurs, une étude analytique approfondie de la composition des monnaies (en particulier celles de la région de Reims) est prévue pour le développement futur. Toute cette étude est conduite dans le but de comprendre les raisons qui ont permis la diffusion d’un si grand nombre de monnaies puniques en dehors de leurs zones de circulation habituelles

Monnaies puniques et néo-punique en Gaule Belgique. Enquête archéologique / historique et utilisation des SIG

Etude des types de localisation des découvertes de monnaies puniques et néo-puniques en France, Belgique, Luxembourg, et en d'autres zones du nord-ouest Européen, à travers l'application des systèmes d'information géographique (SIG). L’étude commence par laréalisation d'une base de données des découvertes de monnaies, accompagnées d'informations sur le contexte archéologique et leur datation. Lesdonnées complémentaires sur la composition (notamment physico-chimique) des monnaies sont introduites dans la base lorsqu’elles sontdisponibles. Le géoréférencement de cette base de données des découvertes nous a permis d'offrir des interprétations numismatiques etarchéologiques sur un grand nombre de monnaies, en permettant l’intégration d’informations complémentaires comme la présence de cours d'eau,de sites archéologiques, d’activités navales, de voies terrestres et de mines. L'estimation et l’enregistrement des incertitudes des données saisiespermettent également une étude sur les modèles de localisation. De cette manière, il sera possible d'attribuer une potentialité différente auxdécouvertes accompagnées par leurs informations archéologiques et à l'incertitude de celles qui sont sorties de leur contexte archéologique. Ainsi,il sera possible d'établir des itinéraires de pénétration plus pertinents qui pourront être améliorés lors des enquêtes et des prospectionsarchéologiques futures. Par ailleurs, une étude analytique approfondie de la composition des monnaies (en particulier celles de la région de Reims)est prévue pour le développement futur. Toute cette étude est conduite dans le but de comprendre les raisons qui ont permis la diffusion d’un sigrand nombre de monnaies puniques en dehors de leurs zones de circulation habituelles