In 2014 we participated in the studies conducted on archeological finds seized from the excavations of Paestum. A unique and exciting experience, due to the richness of the material and the unrivaled scenery of the park.
The investigations were designed to contribute to an exhibition – Possession – which had the intent to highlight the sick feelings behind the theft or purchase of archaeological finds from clandestine excavations.
Thanks to scientific investigations it was possible to understand which finds were original and which were counterfeited, and created for purely fraudulent purposes. Again in 2016 we replicated the experience by being part of the research group that studied “The diver” and “The lovers”, as well as the tomb of the “Palmettes”.
The results of the first campaign can be found in the catalog of the “Possession” exhibition, the results of the second were presented in the latest edition of Florence Heri-Tech and published OpenAccess.
Using a multidisciplinary approach, a comparative study of the pigments used on the painted slab tombs was conducted with the aim of identifying specific characteristics and revealing the executive practices. Several non-destructive analytical techniques were employed (IRR, UV fluorescence, VIL, FORS, ER-FTIR, Raman and XRF). The investigated tombs, exhibited in the museum or preserved in the deposits, come from Hellenistic and Lucanian necropolises: the famous Tomb of the Diver from the necropolis of Tempa del Prete; the Tomb of the Palmettes from the Arcioni necropolis; the tombs T314 and T210 of the Gaudo necropolis; the tombs T6, T23, T21, T76, T20, T11, T12 of the Andriuolo necropolis and the tombs T109 and T110 of the necropolis of Santa Venera were also investigated. The archaeometric results highlight some signs of a local artisan tradition that developed in the Greek colony of Paestum around 500-475 BC.
Different types of pigments were found depending on the period. There are various types of red, green, yellow and even blue, the famous Egyptian Blue.