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Papers by Chiara Spinazzi-Lucchesi

Heritage Science 12.250, 2024

Funerary masks played a crucial role in ancient Egyptian burial practices, as part of the rituals... more Funerary masks played a crucial role in ancient Egyptian burial practices, as part of the rituals to ensure a successful afterlife. This study presents the first comprehensive analysis of a gilded mummy mask from the Roman period in Egypt from the collections of The Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek in Copenhagen. Portraying a young female, the mask belongs to a distinctive group of mummy masks, whose origins can be identified to be coming from the Dakhlah and Kharga oases. The construction of the mask (plaster, textiles) and the constituents of its polychromy (pigments, binding media) was analysed using various non- and micro-destructive methods: imaging, cross-section analysis, optical microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy coupled to energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Additionally, samples were taken for palaeoproteomic analysis with liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. A wide range of pigments such as yellow and red ochre, carbon-based black, and Egyptian blue were identified, reflecting common materials in polychromy in Egypt during the Roman period. Notably, indigo was detected, suggesting its usage in mixtures to render purple hues. Analysis of adhesives and media identified plant gum and collagen-based animal glue. Proteomic analysis identified Equus asinus (donkey) as the predominant protein source for the collagen-based glue. The results shed light on the materials and techniques employed in ancient polychromy in Egypt in the Roman period, further enriching our understanding of artistic practices at the time.

Bulletin archéologique des Écoles françaises à l'étranger, 2024

Ce document a été généré automatiquement le 26 juin 2024. Le texte seul est utilisable sous licen... more Ce document a été généré automatiquement le 26 juin 2024. Le texte seul est utilisable sous licence CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Les autres éléments (illustrations, fichiers annexes importés) sont « Tous droits réservés », sauf mention contraire.

Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution , 2023

In order to determine whether ancient Egyptians had already selected and cultivated very speciali... more In order to determine whether ancient Egyptians had already selected and cultivated very specialized flax types according to their purpose for textile or oil production, respectively, we compared archaeobotanical flax finds with nearly 3000 diverse genebank accessions kept at the Plant Gene Resources of Canada (PGRC). The main result was that fibre flax was most probably already cultivated during the 3rd millennium BC, whereas in later periods an intermediate flax and/or oil type was in use. The collaboration between archaeobotanists and genebank curators shows how our knowledge about ancient usage of plants can be improved by interpreting observations made on ancient findings using recent characterization data obtained from diverse genebank material.

Bulletin archéologique des Écoles françaises à l'étranger, 2023

Archaeological Textiles Review 64 , 2022

Yarns and textiles can be used and reused for multiple purposes other than as clothing and househ... more Yarns and textiles can be used and reused for multiple purposes other than as clothing and household furnishing. In this paper, four different objects from the village of Deir el-Medina (Egypt) are examined. Some of them were purposely made, while others were reused strips of textiles. All of them share an evident trait, which is their decorative function. Through a detailed analysis of these unusual artefacts, it will be possible to shed light on some little known aspects of ornaments in Deir el-Medina.

Exploring Ancient Textiles: Pushing the Boundaries of Established Methodologies, 2022

S. Töpfer, P. Del Vesco, F. Poole (eds.),Deir El-Medina Through the Kaleidoscope.Proceedings of the International Workshop Turin 8th-10thOctobre 2018, 2022

Textile tools from Ancient Egypt: The case of Gurob - Purpureae Vestes VII, 2020

The archaeological site of Gurob is located at the entrance of the Fayum Oasis, in a strategic po... more The archaeological site of Gurob is located at the entrance of the Fayum Oasis, in a strategic position for control of
trade with the Nile and close to the area’s rich agricultural and wildlife resources. It flourished during the New Kingdom and
was abandoned shortly after it ended, when the royal palace and harem, the remains of which were on the site, lost their
importance. It was excavated by F. Petrie in the late 19th century and briefly in the early 20th century.
The textile tools examined in this paper come from Petrie’s excavations in the site during the 19th century and stored in several
British museums. The discovery contexts are therefore unknown and this represents a serious limitation for our knowledge of
textile production there. Objects examined comprehend spindles, spindle whorls, needles, bone spatulas and parts of looms.
The whole corpus is not very large, especially in comparison to contemporary Egyptian sites such as Deir el-Medina and
Amarna. This fact is strongly in contrast with the possible presence of a textile workshop in the site, as suggested by some
textual sources, but it might be due to selection of the material brought by Petrie to England. In fact, the tool types present
seem to indicate a production of extremely fine quality which would meet the highest standard required by a royal harem.

Archaeological Textiles Review 63, 2022

Marco Iamoni (Edited by), "From the Prehistory of Upper Mesopotamia to the Bronze and Iron Age Societies of the Levant. Volume 1. Proceedings of the 5th “Broadening Horizons” Conference (Udine 5-8 June 2017)". Full text: http://hdl.handle.net/10077/30217, 2020

Spinning bowls are known especially from Egypt, but several examples have also been found in the ... more Spinning bowls are known especially from Egypt, but several examples have also been found in the Palestine area; they are spread from the Middle Bronze Age to the Late period. According to the traditional view the most ancient spinning bowls are those from Egypt, which do not predate the Middle Kingdom, while the Palestinian specimens were derived from the Egyptians’, but some evidence challenges this dating. A spinning bowl kept in the Museo Egizio in Turin was traditionally dated to the New Kingdom, but it shows several features which suggest an earlier dating. Study of Schiaparelli’s excavation notes and comparison with similar objects from Tell el-Farkha suggest that a Predynastic date is more plausible. Egyptian spinning bowls were thus probably introduced at least in late Predynastic times. Excavations in Jordan have shown that in that area these items existed as early as the late Chalcolithic period. Different types of morphologies and specimens that are only partially preserved can make the identification of these bowls quite challenging. For full and free access, go to the publisher site: http://hdl.handle.net/10077/30217

Books by Chiara Spinazzi-Lucchesi

Conference Presentations by Chiara Spinazzi-Lucchesi

Deir el-Medina through the Kaleidoscope, 2018

Purpureae Vestes VII, 2019