Objectives The objective of the curricular unit “Introduction to Archaeometry” is to equip students with the basic theoretical and practical knowledge in: a) the chemical/mineralogical composition and nature of different types of archaeomaterials (ceramics, stone and mortars, pigments, organic residues, metals, glass, paper, textiles); b) the different types of advanced scientific techniques used in the characterization of archaeological materials. In particular, the focus of the unit would be to form students able to apply the correct “problem solving” analytical approach (“What-How-When-What for?”) and to provide answers to specific questions arising during the study of archaeomaterials and archaeological sites. The unit will include specialized seminars from invited scholars from the leading Institutions in the field. Syllabus Inorganic archaeomaterials. Ceramics and pottery. Lithics, rocks and ornamental stones - chemical and mineralogical composition. Mortars and cements. Inorganic Pigments. Sand and glass making. Gemstones- Common mineral species and varieties used as gems in antiquity. Ores and Metals. Organic archaeomaterials – Wood, textiles, paper, plastics. Organic residues. Bones. Natural dyes. Resins and Bioinorganic materials.

Teaching materials, including handouts, thematic websites and scientific articles will be distributed in class and posted on a dedicated Moodle page.

The objective of the curricular unit “Introduction to Archaeometry” is to equip students with the basic theoretical and practical knowledge in: a) the chemical/mineralogical composition and nature of different types of archaeomaterials (ceramics, stone and mortars, pigments, organic residues, metals, glass, paper, textiles); b) the different types of advanced scientific techniques used in the characterization of archaeological materials. In particular, the focus of the unit would be to form students able to apply the correct “problem solving” analytical approach (“What-How-When-What for?”) and to provide answers to specific questions arising during the study of archaeomaterials and archaeological sites. The unit will include specialized seminars from invited scholars from the leading Institutions in the field. Syllabus Principles of Geochemical analyses of materials: major, minor and trace elements. Provenance of raw materials, identification of production techniques and centers, identification of commercial routes in the Antiquity; Identification of fakes and forgeries. Introduction to statistical data treatment. Optical and Scanning Electron Microscopy combined with microanalysis (OM, SEM+EDS); X-ray Diffraction (XRD); X-ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy (XRF); Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR); micro-Raman Spectroscopy; Liquid and Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (LC-GC-MS); Differential Thermal Analysis and Thermogravimetric Analysis (DTA-TG): Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Spectroscopy. An introduction to Absolute Dating techniques used to analyse archaeomaterials: Thermoluminescence; Isotopic Techniques. Biological analysis: Amino-acid racemization. Stable Isotopes and Osteological analysis (IRMS).

Teaching materials, including handouts, thematic websites and scientific articles will be distributed in class and posted on a dedicated Moodle page. Additionally, the following textbooks are recommended: