Arhaeometric Concepts and Methods of Intervention on Historical Monument Buildings. the Case of the Corvins' Castle

Abstract

A multidisciplinary study on the mortars from the Corvins' Castle, Hunedoara, Romania has been carried out on two ceramic samples which were analyzed through spectral techniques (FTIR, Raman, X-ray powder diffraction) and diverse microscopy techniques (optical, scanning electron microscopy), for determining the chemical, mineralogical and petrographic characteristics on two ceramic tiles coming from the Corvins' Castle discovered during the archaeological campaign from 2012, at the Administrator's House, inside of the castle yard; the results are presented in order to determine the raw material provenance and the production process. Some information on constructive details, construction history and degradation or damage status, are detailed. Also, the diagnosis results aim to determine the damaging causes, as well as the assessment of the safety or the way of intervention on the structure. The archaeometric study of two tiles, including the identifying of the raw materials provenance is important for collecting information about the exploitation of natural resources and to better understand the manufacturing and weathering/deterioration processes of these artifacts. Modern and performant analytical techniques, as FTIR, SEM-EDS, XRD, colorimetric and gloss measurements, are used and the results are discussed too.