Molecular and structural archaeology : cosmetic and therapeutic chemicals : proceedings of the NATO Advanced Research Workshop on Molecular and Structural Archaeology: Cosmetic and Therapeutic Chemicals, Erice, Sicily, Italy, 23-27 May 2002

Recent progress in the analysis and structural characterisation of materials has an increasing impact on studies of archaeological specimens. A need to embody such research into a new interdisciplinary field has appeared. In this ARW we intended to bring together archaeologists and historians with physicists, chemists, crystallographers and pharmacists, around the theme of structural information on complex archaeological materials. Within this vast area, the ARW has mainly focused on cosmetic-therapeutic chemicals. The objectives of this NATO ARW were twofold: - Delineating the contour of molecular and structural archaeology as an emerging interdisciplinary field based on structural analysis at the molecular level. - Examining novel methodologies to reconstruct the scenario of synthesis and transformation in the long term of compounds used in antiquity for health and beauty. The strong interdisciplinarity of this meeting has been greatly favoured by the NATO ARW organisation allowing the mixing of different fields and disciplines with convergent general goals. This Workshop has shown that the molecular and structural sensibility is a powerful tool towards the setting, and often the solution, of difficult archaeological and historical problems. Ten different nationalities (Europe, Egypt, USA) were represented in the ARW, and this mixing has contributed to the large range of subjects and archaeological contexts. Thus, a mutual interaction between Archaeology and Physical Sciences is expected. The most obvious part is associated with extended use of any possible technique and method to get as much information about the archaeological samples as possible. Front Matter....Pages N3-xi Inventing A Science of Make-Up....Pages 1-9 Etruscan Gold Dental Appliances....Pages 11-27 Preparation and Use of Perfumes and Perfumed Substances in Ancient Egypt....Pages 29-50 Analysis Of Different Materials Used In Ancient Egypt....Pages 51-52 Pigments in Artwork, Cosmetics and Archæology: The Role of Raman Microscopy in their Identification....Pages 53-59 A Multidisciplinary Approach to Pigment Analysis: King’s Yellow and Dragon’s Blood From the Winsor and Newton Pigment Box at the Victoria and Albert Museum....Pages 61-72 Multispectral Spectroscopy Through Tuneable Multispectral Reflectoscopy Between 200 Nm and 3500 Nm....Pages 73-83 Spectroscopic Techniques for The Investigation of Sicilian Cultural Heritage: Two Different Applications....Pages 85-106 A Non-Destructive Analysis by Neutron Diffraction Inside Make-Up Containers of Ancient Egypt....Pages 107-111 Unveiling the Structure of Ancient Lead Pigments Example of “Lead White” ....Pages 113-118 Mossbauer Spectra of Two Ancient Ceramic Products from Moldova....Pages 119-122 Chemical Reactivity of Molecular Systems in Media Organized at the Molecular Level....Pages 123-130 Is Supramolecular Organisation a Key Factor for Long Term Preservation ?....Pages 131-152 Asru, An Ancient Egyptian Temple Chantress: Modern Spectrometric Studies As Part of the Manchester Egyptian Mummy Research Project....Pages 153-162 Metal Threads in Historical Textiles....Pages 163-178 New Synchrotron Radiaton-Based Imaging Techniques and Archaeology....Pages 179-192 The Use of Focussed X-Ray Beams for Non-Destructive Characterization of Historical Materials....Pages 193-200 Advances in Art and Archaeology Using X-Ray Synchrotron Radiation....Pages 201-209 Microstructure Determined By X-Ray Diffraction Peak Profile Analysis: a Fingerprint in Archaeology....Pages 211-220 SR-Based Molecular Speciation of Archaeomaterials....Pages 221-229 Recent Achievement and Perspectives in Synchrotron Radiation X-Ray Absorption Spectroscopy....Pages 231-234 The Emergence of Pathogenic Bacteria and Their Impact on Human Civilization: the Case of Plague Bacillus, Yersinia pestis Infectious diseases and human civilization....Pages 235-240 Supramolecular Chemistry, Chirality and ... Archaeology....Pages 241-247 Invisible in Archaeological Ceramics: Research Problems....Pages 249-261 Molecular Characterisation Of Materials: A New Challenge For Analytical Chemistry....Pages 263-267 Back Matter....Pages 269-269 The book delineates the contours of molecular and structural archaeology as an emergent interdisciplinary field based on structural analysis at the molecular level and examines novel methodologies to reconstruct the synthesis and long-term transformation of materials used in antiquity. The focus of this volume is on cosmetic and therapeutic materials. As such, it casts an entirely new light on the knowledge possessed by the ancients, based on the complete identification of complex materials and preparations found in closed vessels in ancient tombs. It appears that as early as 2000 BCE the necessary technology was available to conduct wet chemical synthesis of new compounds not known as natural products. The materials as we analyze them today, of course, have their own prior history, and disentangling the effects of extreme long-term storage forms part of the puzzle, which may possibly be resolved by means of simulation experiments Since remote times, decoration and care for the body have driven the search for a variety of materials possessing decorative, and sometimes pharmaceutical properties.