Centre d'Analyses et de Recherche en Art et Archéologie• Environmental scanning electron microscopy coupled with Energy dispersive spectroscopy (ESEM-EDS): Energy dispersion spectrometer (EDS) provides the elemental composition of pigments in a painting (e.g. Fe for iron oxides, Hg for cinnabar, As for realgar, Cu for azurite, etc..) or helps to determine the chemical content of the different chemical elements (e.g Si, Ca, K, Na,…
• Raman microscopy : Raman microscopy is a molecular and mineralogical technique that is very efficient for the characterization of metallic alteration products, dies, pigments or siliceous material. Raman microscopy or X-ray diffraction (DX) are often complementary to XRF and allow to obtain the molecular or mineral composition of pigments (e.g., hematite-Fe2O3, cinnabar-HgS-,-realgar As4S4-, malachite…
“Directly” datable materials are ceramics, terracotta, carbon-based materials (such as wood, ivory, textiles, etc.), and some rocks and minerals. The characterization of pigments or metal alloys also enables “indirect” dating of an object by correlating historical and technological knowledge with the analyzed material.
• Thermoluminescence (TL) correspond to the ability of certain crystals to accumulate the energy released by radioactive ionizing radiation and to restore this energy under the form of light when they are submitted to heat. TL dating in archeology applies to materials such as pottery, terracotta, clay core in sculptures, burned or heated flints and…