Nanotechnology in Roman Opaque Red Glass from the 2nd Century AD. Archaeometric Investigation in Red Sectilia from the Decoration of the Lucius Verus Villa in Rome

This work aims to characterise the chemical composition of Roman opaque red glass <i>sectilia</i> dated to the 2nd century A.D and to shed light on Roman glassmaking production of different shades of red, from red to reddish-brown. Due to the lack of technical historical sources for this...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Mario Bandiera, Patrice Lehuédé, Marco Verità, Luis Alves, Isabelle Biron, Marcia Vilarigues
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2019-09-01
Series:Heritage
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2571-9408/2/3/159
Description
Summary:This work aims to characterise the chemical composition of Roman opaque red glass <i>sectilia</i> dated to the 2nd century A.D and to shed light on Roman glassmaking production of different shades of red, from red to reddish-brown. Due to the lack of technical historical sources for this period many questions about technological aspects still remain. In this project a multi-disciplinary approach is in progress to investigate the red glass <i>sectilia</i> with several red hues from the Imperial Villa of <i>Lucius Verus</i> (161&#8722;169 A.D.) in Rome. First, colorimetric measurements were taken to identify the various red hues. The second step was chemical characterization of the samples and the identification of crystalline colouring phases. Particle Induced X-Ray Emission (PIXE) analysis was used to investigate the chemical composition of these glass samples, while the crystalline phases were identified by Raman Spectroscopy and Scanning Electrons Microscope with Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectrometry (SEM-EDS). Using SEM-EDS nanoparticles were detected as a colouring agent, the chemical composition and the morphology of which has been studied in depth. This information has been compared with the colorimetric analysis to establish any correlation with the different colour hues.
ISSN:2571-9408