Particulate dry deposition on sheltered archaeological remains: Considerations based on Complutum, a Roman site in Spain

Autor: Santiago Mayorga-Pinilla, Daniel Vázquez-Moliní, Cristina Cabello-Briones
Rok vydání: 2020
Předmět:
Zdroj: Journal of Cultural Heritage. 46:218-225
ISSN: 1296-2074
Popis: Dry deposition of particulate matter (PM) onto archaeological surfaces is one of the main causes of decay since it implies both visual changes and chemical weathering. In the case of sheltered archaeological sites, it has been verified that particulate matter highly accumulates on the remains. However, the great majority of studies focuses on outdoor monuments or indoor museum objects. Dust collectors in the form of shelf-adhesive film patches were exposed for 1 and 3 months inside and outside the two shelters of Complutum, a Roman archaeological site (I–IV century A.D.) in central Spain. This study has provided a visual and chemical characterisation of the deposits by X-Ray Diffraction and Scanning Electron Microscopy equipped with Energy-Dispersive X-Ray spectroscopy (XRD and SEM). In addition, the amount of deposition has been assessed by gravimetric studies and by analysing the light transmittance of the dust collectors. Therefore, the main sources of the PM found on the remains, most affected areas within the site, and the consequences of dark particle deposition on the archaeological surfaces have been determined. It has been corroborated that PM accumulates inside the shelters in a great extent, and the original construction materials of the site contributes enormously to the type of deposition. In addition, the shelters reduce the access of the black particles which are potentially reactive (PM10) but they do not avoid the visual effects of particulate dry deposition on the horizontal remains.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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