Physicochemical characterization of building and painting materials from the Ptolemaic Osirian catacombs of Karnak templ
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Physicochemical characterization of building and painting materials from the Ptolemaic Osirian catacombs of Karnak temples, Upper Egypt Hussein H. Marey Mahmoud1,a
, Abdelhakim El-Badry2
1 Department of Conservation, Faculty of Archaeology, Cairo University, Giza 12613, Egypt 2 Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, Luxor Office, Luxor, Egypt
Received: 2 March 2020 / Accepted: 8 September 2020 © Società Italiana di Fisica and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract This study reports the first analytical study conducted on samples of fired bricks, bedding mortar and plaster layers collected from the catacombs of Ptolemy IV Philopator at Karnak temples, Upper Egypt. These unique constructions comprise three-level rectangular vaulted brick shrines that lined up in three passages. The microscopic particularities of the samples were assessed by digitalized optical handheld microscope, while the petrographic analysis was depicted by polarized light microscope. X-ray diffractometer was used to analyse some brick, mortar and plaster samples. The morphological description and microchemical analysis, on various points in the samples, were attained via the field-emission scanning electron microscope with an energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer. Further, the molecular and vibrational attributions of some fragments and pigment grains were recognized using Fourier transform infrared spectrometer and Raman microspectrometer (μ-Raman). Results showed that the studied bricks were fired at low temperature using poor-calcium clays. The cross-sectional observation on the plaster layers defined three layers, which are mainly made up of calcium carbonate (calcite). Minerals of quartz, rutile, plagioclase feldspars and calcium silicate were identified, in varying proportions, in the studied plasters. Pigments as Egyptian blue, yellow ochre and red ochre were characterized along the plaster layers. Likely, the microscopic examination and the molecular analysis of the samples disclosed that “fresco” technique was used to decorate the catacombs.
1 Introduction Karnak temples had enjoyed a significant religious value in ancient Egypt. Considering its numerous structures, Karnak is one of the largest preserved heritage sites in the world. The construction of the temple began during the Middle Kingdom (ca. 2040–1782 BC). However, excavated ruins in the temple suggest an earlier possible date to the Old Kingdom (ca. 2613–2181 BC) [1]. Significant extensions in the temple were accomplished through the New Kingdom (ca. 1570–1069 BC) and the Ptolemaic era (ca. 323–30 BC). In ancient Egypt, catacombs were subterranean, or aboveground, burials and niches. Differently than common
a e-mail: [email protected] (corresponding author)
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Eur. Phys. J. Plus
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burials, the ancient Egyptian catacombs were dedicated mainly to sanctify gods represented as animals and also the god Osiris. Early catacombs from the New Kingdom are located in the necropolises of Saqqara
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