Matilde Borla | Ministero della cultura (original) (raw)
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Papers by Matilde Borla
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports
Resume francais : Notre travail est un recensement de l'etat civil des anciens Egyptiens dont... more Resume francais : Notre travail est un recensement de l'etat civil des anciens Egyptiens dont les noms propres sont cites sur les objets conserves au Musee Egyptien de Turin. Dans l'introduction nous avons defini le champ d'investigation (analyse des sources, but de la recherche). Le premier chapitre est reserve a la presentation de la methode de recherche. Le deuxieme est un excursus sur l'etat de la question quant a la collection du Musee Egyptien de Turin et au panorama des etudes onomastiques. Le chapitre III, qui constitue la synthese, est un recueil des donnees anthroponymiques collectees. Suivent la bibliographie et l'index. Un volume est consacre aux planches genealogiques. Le corpus de fiches anthroponymiques, en trois volumes, figure en annexe. Les limites chronologiques du repertoire sont celles du Nouvel Empire egyptien, en raison de la richesse de la documentation de cette epoque conservee au Musee Egyptien de Turin. En ce qui concerne les sources, n...
Journal of Biological Research - Bollettino della Società Italiana di Biologia Sperimentale, 1970
Preliminary results of the scientific project on ancient fingerprints, born from the cooperation ... more Preliminary results of the scientific project on ancient fingerprints, born from the cooperation between the Egyptian Museum in Turin and the Department of the Scientific Police are discussed. Following the study on ancient fingerprints on terracotta ushabtis found by Ernesto Schiaparelli in Deir el-Medina, this study deals with the fingerprints of Egyptian mummies.
Proceedings of the XI International Congress of Egyptologists, Florence, Italy 23-30 August 2015, 2017
The proposal aims to a neutron integrated study to provide the composition (in terms of phases an... more The proposal aims to a neutron integrated study to provide the composition (in terms of phases and corrosion products as well as working methods and state of conservation) of a set of 5 metallic vassels coming from the Egyptian tomb of Kha and Merit. The study will be performed at ENGIN-X diffractometer through Neutron Diffraction. The proposed experiment is part of a large-range characterization campaign on objects coming from the same Egyptian tomb discovered on February 15, 1906, in a valley next to the village of Deir el-Medina.
X-ray radiography is nowadays widely employed in the Cultural Heritage field and can give many an... more X-ray radiography is nowadays widely employed in the Cultural Heritage field and can give many and useful information on different topics related to artworks and archaeological finds. On the other hand, tomography is less diffused and more time-consuming and expensive, but overcomes the main limitation of radiography, that is the projection of the entire volume on a plane, losing information about the third dimension. This is especially true when radiography is applied to objects with complex geometry or different materials: in these cases, the real distribution of pieces and materials is sometimes impossible to understand and a tomography is necessary. In this paper, we will show the case study of the Taiefmutmut's coffin lid, a woman from Ancient Egypt, analysed with both radiography and tomography. This case is particularly significant because, even if the object is relatively simple both for geometry and materials, the results obtained with the two techniques are noticeably ...
A neutron radiography study will be conducted on tin- and lead-rich organ pipes fragments. We wil... more A neutron radiography study will be conducted on tin- and lead-rich organ pipes fragments. We will try to infer, by energy selective neutron imaging too, whether different crystallographic phases (that is tin-alpha, tin-beta, cassiterite or romarchite) reflect the visible alterations patterns. We aim to demonstrate that energy selective neutron imaging can give relevant indications in future archaeometallurgy studies, extending the method also to real archaeological samples (not only fragments), where only non-destructive experiments can be performed (often even in the presence of patina or corrosion layers).
L'oggetto dell'intervento è una tunica frammentaria di epoca bizantina (400-600 d... more L'oggetto dell'intervento è una tunica frammentaria di epoca bizantina (400-600 d.C.) in fibre intessute di lana e lino del Museo Egizio di Torino. La tunica è stata oggetto di studio e restauro nel corso di una tesi del Corso di Laurea Magistrale Abilitante in Conservazione e Restauro dei Beni Culturali presso La Venaria Reale di Torino. Le dimensioni del manufatto (circa quattro metri quadrati), l'estensione del degrado imputabile alla sua funzione quale sudario, gli effetti di un precedente intervento di restauro invasivo hanno reso il caso di studio estremamente complesso. L'approfondimento storico-artistico ha permesso di vagliare la duplice valenza di questo manufatto: in primis, è stata studiata la tunica come abito della vita, oggetto d'uso quotidiano che, grazie alla sua decorazione e ad una tecnica di pregio come quella dell'arazzo e della navetta volante, ha imposto una grande attenzione ai particolari. Contestualmente, è stato indagato il concetto di tunica come abito della morte al fine di interpretarne correttamente lo stato di conservazione. A tal proposito è stato condotto un approfondimento sull'evoluzione delle tecniche di trattamento del corpo del defunto dall'Egitto faraonico a quello cristiano e sul cambiamento delle pratiche di sepoltura. La datazione della tunica con radiocarbonio ne ha permesso una più precisa collocazione storica (415-560 d.C., 95% probabilità). L'analisi dello stato di conservazione, inoltre, ha posto in evidenza non solo la fragilità del tessuto antico, ma anche la presenza di ulteriori problematiche legate al precedente intervento di restauro, effettuato con l'applicazione, su tutta la superficie del retro, di un voile di seta incollato con un adesivo a base di amido. Tale intervento ha irrigidito e infragilito ulteriormente la tessitura già compromessa. In ragione dello stato di conservazione del manufatto risultava difficile intervenire con il consolidamento ad ago su supporto e si è evidenziata la necessità di intervenire rimuovendo l'adesivo, aspetto che ha comportato il confronto, la sperimentazione e l'adozione di metodologie non convenzionali di intervento. La sperimentazione sulla pulitura chimica per via enzimatica è stata maturata dopo avere testato metodologie di rimozione più tradizionali mediante gel rigidi (Agar, Gellano) che non si sono rivelate completamente efficaci. E' stato quindi individuato un metodo di pulitura chimica alternativo e sperimentale mediante compressa enzimatica appositamente allestita con Gellano additivato di -amilasi (da Bacillus sp.). Rispetto ai metodi di pulitura tradizionali, l'applicazione dell'impacco enzimatico ha consentito di agire superficialmente con minore tempo di contatto e azione meccanica contenuta in fase di rimozione dell'adesivo trattato.
Dating archaeological textiles based solely on visual qualities can produce uncertain results. Wh... more Dating archaeological textiles based solely on visual qualities can produce uncertain results. While much can be determined by examining weave structure, fibers and decorative motifs, the general dearth of extant examples for comperanda, as well as lacuna in the historical record can result in the mislabeling of a textile’s period of construction. Advances in scientific research can now determine age with ease, minimal sampling and accuracy. This paper will present the conservation treatment of a Coptic tunic from the Egyptian Museum of Turin which was originally stylistically attributed to 10-12 century AD yet radiocarbon dating revealed it was actually 500 years older. The strategy for choosing samples and the procedure for measurement will be discussed including examples of earliest uses of C-dating in Textile Conservation. The research was carried out in 2014 as part of a Master Thesis in the Conservation of Cultural Heritage at the University of Turin. Initially, the tunic was ...
Journal of Imaging, 2021
Diagnostic physical methods are increasingly applied to Cultural Heritage both for scientific inv... more Diagnostic physical methods are increasingly applied to Cultural Heritage both for scientific investigations and conservation purposes. In particular, the X-ray imaging techniques of computed tomography (CT) and digital radiography (DR) are non-destructive investigation methods to study an object, being able to give information on its inner structure. In this paper, we present the results of the X-ray imaging study on an ancient Egyptian statuette (Late Period 722–30 BCE) belonging to the collection of Museo Egizio in Torino and representing an Egyptian goddess called Taweret, carved on wood and gilded with some colored details. Since few specific studies have been focused on materials and techniques used in Ancient Egypt for gilding, a detailed investigation was started in order to verify the technical features of the decoration in this sculpture. Specifically, DR and CT analyses have been performed at the Centro Conservazione e Restauro “La Venaria Reale” (CCR), with a new high re...
Nuncius, 2019
Despite the key role of the Ptolemaic period in the history of glass technology, very little is k... more Despite the key role of the Ptolemaic period in the history of glass technology, very little is known on the workshop activities and on the organization of the production. This is mainly due to the limits of the documentation currently available, consisting of very few archaeological contexts often poorly preserved. This contribution presents a first overview of the material and archival record related to the 1931 excavations in the Ptolemaic inlay workshop of Tebtynis (Fayum oasis, Egypt). Unlike other coeval sites, the data from Tebtynis revealed a complete set of evidence related to the stratigraphy and the topography of the craft area, to the shape and size of the kiln, to the furniture, the tools, the raw materials, and the finished products discovered. The interpretation of the data provides the opportunity to propose new hypotheses on the function of the spaces and the tools, but also on the chronology of the workshop, contributing to shedding light on the technological and e...
Spectrochimica Acta Part B: Atomic Spectroscopy, 2018
Molecules, 2019
When the imagination conjures up an image of an Egyptian mummy, it is normally one of a human bod... more When the imagination conjures up an image of an Egyptian mummy, it is normally one of a human body wrapped with undyed linen bandages. However, the reality was much more colourful, as shown by the set of red mummy shrouds and textile fragments from Pharaonic Egypt considered in this work. The textiles were subjected to scientific investigation with the main aim of shedding light on the sources of red colour and on the possible reasons for the different levels of colour fading. The red colourants were investigated using various non-invasive and micro-invasive approaches. The results pointed towards the presence of three sources of red colour, which, in increasing order of lightfastness, are safflower (Carthamus tinctorius), madder (Rubia spp.), and red ochre. Micro-morphological observations and elemental analyses also enabled some hypotheses to be formulated regarding the application of these colourants to the textiles. The results not only deepen our knowledge of dyeing technologie...
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports
Resume francais : Notre travail est un recensement de l'etat civil des anciens Egyptiens dont... more Resume francais : Notre travail est un recensement de l'etat civil des anciens Egyptiens dont les noms propres sont cites sur les objets conserves au Musee Egyptien de Turin. Dans l'introduction nous avons defini le champ d'investigation (analyse des sources, but de la recherche). Le premier chapitre est reserve a la presentation de la methode de recherche. Le deuxieme est un excursus sur l'etat de la question quant a la collection du Musee Egyptien de Turin et au panorama des etudes onomastiques. Le chapitre III, qui constitue la synthese, est un recueil des donnees anthroponymiques collectees. Suivent la bibliographie et l'index. Un volume est consacre aux planches genealogiques. Le corpus de fiches anthroponymiques, en trois volumes, figure en annexe. Les limites chronologiques du repertoire sont celles du Nouvel Empire egyptien, en raison de la richesse de la documentation de cette epoque conservee au Musee Egyptien de Turin. En ce qui concerne les sources, n...
Journal of Biological Research - Bollettino della Società Italiana di Biologia Sperimentale, 1970
Preliminary results of the scientific project on ancient fingerprints, born from the cooperation ... more Preliminary results of the scientific project on ancient fingerprints, born from the cooperation between the Egyptian Museum in Turin and the Department of the Scientific Police are discussed. Following the study on ancient fingerprints on terracotta ushabtis found by Ernesto Schiaparelli in Deir el-Medina, this study deals with the fingerprints of Egyptian mummies.
Proceedings of the XI International Congress of Egyptologists, Florence, Italy 23-30 August 2015, 2017
The proposal aims to a neutron integrated study to provide the composition (in terms of phases an... more The proposal aims to a neutron integrated study to provide the composition (in terms of phases and corrosion products as well as working methods and state of conservation) of a set of 5 metallic vassels coming from the Egyptian tomb of Kha and Merit. The study will be performed at ENGIN-X diffractometer through Neutron Diffraction. The proposed experiment is part of a large-range characterization campaign on objects coming from the same Egyptian tomb discovered on February 15, 1906, in a valley next to the village of Deir el-Medina.
X-ray radiography is nowadays widely employed in the Cultural Heritage field and can give many an... more X-ray radiography is nowadays widely employed in the Cultural Heritage field and can give many and useful information on different topics related to artworks and archaeological finds. On the other hand, tomography is less diffused and more time-consuming and expensive, but overcomes the main limitation of radiography, that is the projection of the entire volume on a plane, losing information about the third dimension. This is especially true when radiography is applied to objects with complex geometry or different materials: in these cases, the real distribution of pieces and materials is sometimes impossible to understand and a tomography is necessary. In this paper, we will show the case study of the Taiefmutmut's coffin lid, a woman from Ancient Egypt, analysed with both radiography and tomography. This case is particularly significant because, even if the object is relatively simple both for geometry and materials, the results obtained with the two techniques are noticeably ...
A neutron radiography study will be conducted on tin- and lead-rich organ pipes fragments. We wil... more A neutron radiography study will be conducted on tin- and lead-rich organ pipes fragments. We will try to infer, by energy selective neutron imaging too, whether different crystallographic phases (that is tin-alpha, tin-beta, cassiterite or romarchite) reflect the visible alterations patterns. We aim to demonstrate that energy selective neutron imaging can give relevant indications in future archaeometallurgy studies, extending the method also to real archaeological samples (not only fragments), where only non-destructive experiments can be performed (often even in the presence of patina or corrosion layers).
L'oggetto dell'intervento è una tunica frammentaria di epoca bizantina (400-600 d... more L'oggetto dell'intervento è una tunica frammentaria di epoca bizantina (400-600 d.C.) in fibre intessute di lana e lino del Museo Egizio di Torino. La tunica è stata oggetto di studio e restauro nel corso di una tesi del Corso di Laurea Magistrale Abilitante in Conservazione e Restauro dei Beni Culturali presso La Venaria Reale di Torino. Le dimensioni del manufatto (circa quattro metri quadrati), l'estensione del degrado imputabile alla sua funzione quale sudario, gli effetti di un precedente intervento di restauro invasivo hanno reso il caso di studio estremamente complesso. L'approfondimento storico-artistico ha permesso di vagliare la duplice valenza di questo manufatto: in primis, è stata studiata la tunica come abito della vita, oggetto d'uso quotidiano che, grazie alla sua decorazione e ad una tecnica di pregio come quella dell'arazzo e della navetta volante, ha imposto una grande attenzione ai particolari. Contestualmente, è stato indagato il concetto di tunica come abito della morte al fine di interpretarne correttamente lo stato di conservazione. A tal proposito è stato condotto un approfondimento sull'evoluzione delle tecniche di trattamento del corpo del defunto dall'Egitto faraonico a quello cristiano e sul cambiamento delle pratiche di sepoltura. La datazione della tunica con radiocarbonio ne ha permesso una più precisa collocazione storica (415-560 d.C., 95% probabilità). L'analisi dello stato di conservazione, inoltre, ha posto in evidenza non solo la fragilità del tessuto antico, ma anche la presenza di ulteriori problematiche legate al precedente intervento di restauro, effettuato con l'applicazione, su tutta la superficie del retro, di un voile di seta incollato con un adesivo a base di amido. Tale intervento ha irrigidito e infragilito ulteriormente la tessitura già compromessa. In ragione dello stato di conservazione del manufatto risultava difficile intervenire con il consolidamento ad ago su supporto e si è evidenziata la necessità di intervenire rimuovendo l'adesivo, aspetto che ha comportato il confronto, la sperimentazione e l'adozione di metodologie non convenzionali di intervento. La sperimentazione sulla pulitura chimica per via enzimatica è stata maturata dopo avere testato metodologie di rimozione più tradizionali mediante gel rigidi (Agar, Gellano) che non si sono rivelate completamente efficaci. E' stato quindi individuato un metodo di pulitura chimica alternativo e sperimentale mediante compressa enzimatica appositamente allestita con Gellano additivato di -amilasi (da Bacillus sp.). Rispetto ai metodi di pulitura tradizionali, l'applicazione dell'impacco enzimatico ha consentito di agire superficialmente con minore tempo di contatto e azione meccanica contenuta in fase di rimozione dell'adesivo trattato.
Dating archaeological textiles based solely on visual qualities can produce uncertain results. Wh... more Dating archaeological textiles based solely on visual qualities can produce uncertain results. While much can be determined by examining weave structure, fibers and decorative motifs, the general dearth of extant examples for comperanda, as well as lacuna in the historical record can result in the mislabeling of a textile’s period of construction. Advances in scientific research can now determine age with ease, minimal sampling and accuracy. This paper will present the conservation treatment of a Coptic tunic from the Egyptian Museum of Turin which was originally stylistically attributed to 10-12 century AD yet radiocarbon dating revealed it was actually 500 years older. The strategy for choosing samples and the procedure for measurement will be discussed including examples of earliest uses of C-dating in Textile Conservation. The research was carried out in 2014 as part of a Master Thesis in the Conservation of Cultural Heritage at the University of Turin. Initially, the tunic was ...
Journal of Imaging, 2021
Diagnostic physical methods are increasingly applied to Cultural Heritage both for scientific inv... more Diagnostic physical methods are increasingly applied to Cultural Heritage both for scientific investigations and conservation purposes. In particular, the X-ray imaging techniques of computed tomography (CT) and digital radiography (DR) are non-destructive investigation methods to study an object, being able to give information on its inner structure. In this paper, we present the results of the X-ray imaging study on an ancient Egyptian statuette (Late Period 722–30 BCE) belonging to the collection of Museo Egizio in Torino and representing an Egyptian goddess called Taweret, carved on wood and gilded with some colored details. Since few specific studies have been focused on materials and techniques used in Ancient Egypt for gilding, a detailed investigation was started in order to verify the technical features of the decoration in this sculpture. Specifically, DR and CT analyses have been performed at the Centro Conservazione e Restauro “La Venaria Reale” (CCR), with a new high re...
Nuncius, 2019
Despite the key role of the Ptolemaic period in the history of glass technology, very little is k... more Despite the key role of the Ptolemaic period in the history of glass technology, very little is known on the workshop activities and on the organization of the production. This is mainly due to the limits of the documentation currently available, consisting of very few archaeological contexts often poorly preserved. This contribution presents a first overview of the material and archival record related to the 1931 excavations in the Ptolemaic inlay workshop of Tebtynis (Fayum oasis, Egypt). Unlike other coeval sites, the data from Tebtynis revealed a complete set of evidence related to the stratigraphy and the topography of the craft area, to the shape and size of the kiln, to the furniture, the tools, the raw materials, and the finished products discovered. The interpretation of the data provides the opportunity to propose new hypotheses on the function of the spaces and the tools, but also on the chronology of the workshop, contributing to shedding light on the technological and e...
Spectrochimica Acta Part B: Atomic Spectroscopy, 2018
Molecules, 2019
When the imagination conjures up an image of an Egyptian mummy, it is normally one of a human bod... more When the imagination conjures up an image of an Egyptian mummy, it is normally one of a human body wrapped with undyed linen bandages. However, the reality was much more colourful, as shown by the set of red mummy shrouds and textile fragments from Pharaonic Egypt considered in this work. The textiles were subjected to scientific investigation with the main aim of shedding light on the sources of red colour and on the possible reasons for the different levels of colour fading. The red colourants were investigated using various non-invasive and micro-invasive approaches. The results pointed towards the presence of three sources of red colour, which, in increasing order of lightfastness, are safflower (Carthamus tinctorius), madder (Rubia spp.), and red ochre. Micro-morphological observations and elemental analyses also enabled some hypotheses to be formulated regarding the application of these colourants to the textiles. The results not only deepen our knowledge of dyeing technologie...
Registration and submission on the EAA web platform at https://www.e-a-a.org/EAA2020 DEADLINE FOR... more Registration and submission on the EAA web platform at https://www.e-a-a.org/EAA2020 DEADLINE FOR PAPER SUMISSION: 13 February 2020 This session aims to design a methodological approach to the study of wrapped remains and artefacts from the Nile Valley. "Wrapping" here encompasses textile bandages, shrouds and clothing that wound, bound or enveloped humans and animals as part of funerary treatments and textiles used to ritually cover grave goods and dress divine figures. Throughout the long history of ancient Egypt, funerary wrapping was used to an industrial scale, which led to the development of dedicated embalming workshops, diverse material sourcing channels, specialised skill sets, and commercial markets. An unparalleled amount of wrapping materials have survived and is today kept in European museums, as well as in numerous cultural institutions in Egypt, Sudan, and worldwide. Despite the ubiquity and historical potential of this practice, wrapping and wrapped remains have not been the focus of specific scholarly research until the publication of Unwrapping Ancient Egypt by Christi-na Riggs, in 2014. Inspired by the many questions raised by this landmark study, we wish to explore textile wrappings through an all-encompassing approach, and reveal the network of interconnected crafts and processes necessary to manufacture them and turn them into economically, ritually and epistemologically powerful artifacts. We hope to bring together researchers from universities and museums, with varying and interdisciplin-ary approaches spanning from egyptology, philology, archaeology, history, and conservation, to physical anthropology, forensic and biomolecular sciences, and imaging technologies. We particularly welcome papers bringing new knowledge on the following themes:-Textiles from museums, excavations, or in texts,-Scientific analyses of wrappings and/or wrapped remains,-Ressources supply and recycling channels,-Wrapping techniques and their development through time and place,-Religious functions and ritual processes accross contexts,-Social and cultural environment of textiles and wrappings.
Nuncius, 2019
Despite the key role of the Ptolemaic period in the history of glass technology, very little is k... more Despite the key role of the Ptolemaic period in the history of glass technology, very little is known on the workshop activities and on the organization of the production. This is mainly due to the limits of the documentation currently available, consisting of very few archaeological contexts often poorly preserved. This contribution presents a first overview of the material and archival record related to the 1931 excavations in the Ptolemaic inlay workshop of Tebtynis (Fayum oasis, Egypt). Unlike other coeval sites, the data from Tebtynis revealed a complete set of evidence related to the stratigraphy and the topography of the craft area, to the shape and size of the kiln, to the furniture, the tools, the raw materials, and the finished products discovered. The interpretation of the data provides the opportunity to propose new hypotheses on the function of the spaces and the tools, but also on the chronology of the workshop, contributing to shedding light on the technological and empirical knowledge of the ancient Egyptian glassmakers in a crucial moment of glass history.
Archaeological Textile Review, 2021
In: Conference review. EAA: Annual meeting of the European Association of Archaeologists