Diagnosis, monitoring and conservation strategies in archaeological sites in Europe and China

Essential feature of ICVBC is the multidisciplinary approach to all the projects carried out in the Institute. This is possible thanks to the multiplicity of skills present in the Institute and the development of a strong network of partnerships with other national and international research institutes, Universities and public or private institutions responsible for the protection and preservation of cultural heritage. In the field of conservation, different issues are addressed ranging from the study of materials and techniques of execution of the artifacts, the identification of the causes and mechanisms of decay, the technical and scientific advice on restoration and preservation, development of methodologies and products for the restoration. The Institute has integrated analytical methods, both invasive and non-invasive, for a complete characterization of the different materials of cultural heritage, of their state of conservation, monitoring and for verification of the various intervention procedures. In this paper, with particular reference to stone materials, recent on-going projects will be described ranging from diagnosis, monitoring and conservation, aspects that are closely interrelated. In particular, the completely non-invasive diagnostic campaign conducted on the paintings in Domitilla's Catacombs in Rome will be described outlining the advantages and drawbacks of using portable instrumentation. As an example of environmental monitoring combined with periodic monitoring performed by spots analyses will be described the case study of the Etruscan tombs of Sovana in the south of Tuscany. The tombs are carved in tuff, a pyroclastic material of low durability, and painted utilizing a support made of lime plaster. In the framework of the project "Marmora Phygiae" the different activities conducted up to now and still on-going in the archeological site of Hierapolis in Turkey will be presented. Among these activities, particular attention will be dedicated to environmental monitoring and to the studies for assessing the state of conservation of stones and mortars. For this purpose a sampling campaign has been carried out in order to collect representative samples to be further analyzed in the laboratory. The typologies of samples will be different (i.e. microfragments or powders)