ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY IN HERITAGE SCIENCE WITH LABORATORY - 2

The course is part of the core educational activities of the Master’s degree programme in Conservation Science and Technology for Cultural Heritage and contributes to the programme’s learning objectives concerning the characterisation, authentication, conservation, and technological study of cultural heritage materials. The course provides knowledge and methodological tools to understand the relationships between structure, composition, chemical and physical properties, production processes, provenance, use, and state of conservation of materials of archaeological and cultural heritage interest, with particular reference to metallic, glass, and ceramic materials. Through the integration of materials science concepts, case studies, and advanced analytical techniques, the course contributes to the training of graduates able to formulate diagnostic and archaeometric questions, select appropriate analytical approaches, and critically interpret data obtained in the study of cultural heritage artefacts.

At the end of the course, students will have acquired knowledge of the structure, composition, chemical and physical properties, and production and transformation processes of the main metallic, glass, and ceramic materials of archaeological and cultural heritage interest. They will also have acquired knowledge of the operating principles, potential, limitations, and main fields of application of the advanced analytical techniques used for the characterisation of cultural heritage materials.
Students will be able to understand the relationships between the nature of a material, a research question, and the analytical information that can be obtained; to critically read case studies from the scientific literature; to interpret data related to composition, structure, provenance, production technologies, use-related residues, alteration, and state of conservation; and to integrate information derived from different approaches in order to address diagnostic and archaeometric problems.
The course will also develop the ability to use appropriate technical and scientific terminology, to critically discuss results and analytical strategies, and to formulate reasoned evaluations of the suitability of different analytical approaches for specific cultural heritage research problems.

Basic knowledge of organic, inorganic, and analytical chemistry, as well as solid-state physics, is required. Students are also expected to be able to understand scientific texts in English, which are necessary for following the course and analysing case studies and papers from the scientific literature.

The course is devoted to the study of materials of archaeological and cultural heritage interest, such as metallic, glass, and ceramic materials, and of the main advanced analytical techniques used for their characterisation. The general structure of the course includes the introduction of theoretical principles concerning the structure, composition, chemical and physical properties, production and transformation processes, alteration phenomena, and state of conservation of materials, in order to understand the relationships between material characteristics, provenance, manufacturing technologies, and patterns of artefact use; the presentation of case studies and related diagnostic and archaeometric questions; and the description, both in terms of operating principles and practical applications, of the analytical techniques that make it possible to investigate these features and address the corresponding research questions. Particular attention is devoted to the type of information obtainable through the different techniques, their strengths and limitations, sampling and sample-preparation requirements, issues of data representativeness, as well as the critical interpretation of results and the integration of information derived from multi-technique approaches.

The specific course contents are:
- introduction to metallic materials: composition, structure and properties, microstructural features, and production processes;
- analytical techniques for the assessment of authenticity, provenance, production technologies, degradation mechanisms, and use contexts of artefacts: semi-quantitative bulk elemental characterisation and imaging by XRF; microstructural characterisation by SEM(-EDS); nanostructural characterisation by (S)TEM; surface characterisation by STM and AFM; mineralogical characterisation by XRD; quantitative bulk elemental characterisation by ICP-OES/MS; isotopic analysis by IRMS and MC-ICP-MS; characterisation of organic residues by GC-MS and LC-MS; integrated multi-technique approaches;
- laboratory activities consist of practical sessions and applied case studies focused on the characterisation of one or more metallic, glass, and/or ceramic artefacts using the techniques covered in the theoretical part of the course, with additional focus on the hardware and software management of instrumentation and on data processing.

Teaching materials provided by the lecturer: lecture notes, slides used during the course, and selected scientific papers discussed as case studies concerning metallic, glass, and ceramic materials of archaeological and cultural heritage interest. Additional readings and further bibliographic references will be indicated during the course and made available through the e-learning platform.

Assessment is based on an oral examination. In the first part, students are asked to briefly and critically present a scientific paper or case study relevant to the course topics and agreed with the lecturer at least one week before the examination; this is followed by further questions on the selected case study and on other topics covered in the course.
The examination is aimed at assessing knowledge and understanding of the course contents, the ability to critically discuss the information obtainable through the main analytical approaches presented, the ability to interpret data and relate them to diagnostic and archaeometric questions, the ability to integrate information derived from different techniques, and the correct use of technical and scientific terminology.

During the oral exam, the following will be assessed:
- theoretical knowledge of the composition, structure, production, and processing of materials covered;
- theoretical knowledge of the analytical techniques and methodologies covered;
- technical knowledge of the specific application of the analytical techniques addressed for the study of artefacts;
- technical skills in designing approaches to solve archaeometric problems;
- theoretical and technical knowledge in the processing and evaluation of analytical data.

oral

The lecturer has a duty to ensure that the rules regarding the authenticity and originality of exam tests and papers are respected. Therefore, if there is suspicion of irregular conduct, an additional assessment may be conducted, which could differ from the original exam description.

Assessment grid:
27-30: full mastery of the topics covered in the course concerning metallic, glass, and ceramic materials and the main analytical approaches presented; ability to independently reorganise and critically apply the acquired knowledge to diagnostic and archaeometric issues; ability to correctly interpret data and results and to use appropriate technical terminology.
23-26: fair to good knowledge of the topics covered in the course; fair ability to organise and apply information in the discussion of case studies and diagnostic problems; adequate ability to interpret data and generally correct use of technical terminology.
18-22: basic or partial knowledge of the topics covered in the course; limited ability to apply knowledge to the discussion of materials and analytical approaches; interpretation of data not always autonomous or fully correct; terminology not always used appropriately.
Honours (cum laude) will be awarded in the presence of excellent knowledge of the course contents, full ability to critically integrate data, methods, and case studies, and a personal, rigorous, and original re-elaboration of the issues addressed.

The course is delivered through lectures, discussion of case studies from the scientific literature, and laboratory activities. Teaching activities are aimed at developing the understanding of materials relevant to cultural heritage and of the main analytical approaches used for their characterisation, as well as the ability to critically interpret data and results. Laboratory activities are application-oriented and allow further exploration of selected topics addressed during the course. Teaching materials and any additional bibliographic references will be made available through the e-learning platform.

Teaching materials will be progressively made available on the course e-learning platform. For the oral examination, students are required to agree in advance with the lecturer on the paper or case study to be presented.