To minimize the damage and maintain the condidtion of the cartonnage, a unified restoration project was requested. Fungal species of Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger, Cladosporium cladosporioides, and Penicillium spp. Extreme physical damage, salt efflorescence, and biological attacks were documented. The results showed that gum Arabic was the adhesive used in both the gesso and pictorial layers. While the yellow paint areas contained a blended layer of yellow ochre and orpiment. What's more, the green pigment was created through mixing the Egyptian blue with amounts of yellow ochre. The main pigments on the cartonnage palette contained Egyptian blue (synthetic blue cuprorivaite), orpiment (brilliant arsenic sulfide mineral), yellow ochre (iron oxyhydroxide, silica, and a clay mineral), and red ochre (iron (III) oxide, silica, and a clay mineral). The results implied linen fibres as the base support, and thin calcareous layer mixed with gum Arabic worked as preparatory layer 'gesso'. For further understanding, spectroscopic study on some samples was fulfilled by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. Fragmented cartonnage samples were non-destructively examined by digital microspcope and high resolution field-emission scanning electron microscope, which was outfitted with an energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer. In this inquiry, a polychrome cartonnage mummy case, discovered at the archaeological site of El-Lahun at Middle Egypt, was investigated. However, by carefully selecting, optimising and combining techniques, text contained within these fragile and rare artefacts may eventually be open to non-destructive imaging, identification, and interpretation. Furthermore, it is likely that no single imaging technique will to be able to robustly detect and enable the reading of text within ancient Egyptian mummy cartonnage. The tests demonstrated that each imaging modality needs to be optimised for this particular application: it is, in general, not sufficient to repurpose an existing device without modification. The phantoms allowed reliable and repeatable tests to be made at multiple sites on three continents. However, using terahertz imaging, it was possible to detect carbon-based inks with good penetration but with less sensitivity to iron-based inks. X-ray-based techniques were sensitive to iron-based inks with excellent penetration but were not able to detect carbon-based inks. Optical imaging techniques were able to detect inks on all four phantoms, but were unable to significantly penetrate papyrus. The techniques include optical (multispectral imaging with reflection and transillumination, and optical coherence tomography), X-ray (X-ray fluorescence imaging, X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, X-ray micro computed tomography and phase contrast X-ray) and terahertz-based approaches. Eight different techniques were compared by imaging four synthetic phantoms designed to provide robust, well-understood, yet relevant sample standards using modern papyrus and replica inks. The use of an advanced range of different imaging modalities was investigated to test the feasibility of non-destructive approaches applied to multi-layered papyrus found in ancient Egyptian mummy cartonnage. Egyptologists, papyrologists, and historians aim to recover and read extant text on the papyrus contained within cartonnage layers, but some methods, such as dissolving mummy casings, are destructive.
Ancient Egyptian mummies were often covered with an outer casing, panels and masks made from cartonnage: a lightweight material made from linen, plaster, and recycled papyrus held together with adhesive.
0 kommentar(er)
