From 21st to 24th October 2024, the Geosciences Department of the University of Aveiro hosted the ‘XV Iberian Archaeometry Congress’, bringing together researchers from various institutions, including the Instituto Superior Técnico, to discuss and disseminate scientific studies related to the application of different analytical techniques to the characterisation, valorization and preservation of cultural heritage.
Promoted by the Sociedade de Arqueometria Aplicada ao Património Cultural (SAPaC), the researcher Rosa Marques, from the Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering (DECN) and the Centro de Ciências e Tecnologias Nucleares (C2TN), attended the congress and was part of the organising committee.
Several oral communications, posters and plenary sessions were presented, highlighting the latest applications in the field of archaeometry, with particular emphasis on the use of nuclear techniques. During the event, three Técnico researchers presented relevant results in their areas of specialisation. Rosa Marques, Ana Luísa Rodrigues and Susana Sousa Gomes addressed topics related to chemical and mineralogical characterisation using micro-invasive or non-destructive techniques, and luminescence dating, applied to archaeological artefacts of different materials, contexts and chronologies.
Rosa Marques (DECN/C2TN), from the Nuclear Engineering and Techniques (ETN) group, presented two oral communications: ‘Pesos de tear de Vila Nova de São Pedro (Portugal) – proveniência e tecnologias de produção’, and ‘Estudo arqueométrico de ânforas romanas e matérias-primas da Villa Cardílio (Torres Novas) – sobre a possível produção de ânforas no médio Tejo’. The first work was funded by the European Union, under the Integrating Platforms for the European Research Infrastructure on Heritage Science (IPERION HS), in collaboration with the Centro de Arqueologia da Universidade de Lisboa (UNIARQ) and the Associação dos Arqueólogos Portugueses (AAP). The second communication had the collaboration of UNIARQ, the Torres Novas and Loulé Municipalities and the Museu Municipal Carlos Reis.
‘Trace element patterns of indigenous versus Phoenician copper-based artefacts from two Early Iron Age settlements’ was the subject of the oral communication presented by Susana Sousa Gomes, a C2TN researcher at the Radiation, Elements and Isotopes Group (GREI). The study, funded by the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT), analyses the differences in the chemical composition of bronze artefacts from two archaeological sites dating from the Early Iron Age, distinguishing the metallurgical processes of an indigenous settlement from a Phoenician one.
Ana Luísa Rodrigues (DECN/C2TN), researcher of the ETN group, presented two oral communications: ‘O xisto como indicador da mobilidade de matérias-primas e artefactos no Calcolítico Ibérico’, which focused on the study of the use of this material to understand the movement of people and ideas in the Iberian Peninsula, funded by the European Union, under the IPERION HS platform, in collaboration with UNIARQ, AAP and ERA Arqueologia, S.A.. The second one ‘Datação por luminescência do sítio Cova del Puntal del Gat (Benirredrà, Valência, Espanha) – o desafio dos contextos ricos em carbonatos’, addressed issues related to the dating of calcite-rich materials. The study was developed in collaboration with the University and the Museu de Prehistòria de València.
The congress also included the participation of two PhD students from the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Lisbon, under the co-supervision of C2TN researcher Rosa Marques. Miguel Amigo presented the work ‘O Palácio Angeja – Palmela / Museu Nacional do Traje: história, arquitetura e artes plásticas’, which aims to characterize the various phases of the palace’s construction and use. The poster presented by Carolina Coppoli, entitled ‘Novas perspectivas sobre a origem e a história das tradicionais Panelas Mineiras em Pedra-Sabão’, focused on the origin and evolution of these traditional artefacts.
Rosa Marques was invited to give a plenary session on ‘Desvendar os Segredos do Património Cultural – Técnicas Nucleares de Análise’, where the importance of nuclear techniques in Cultural Heritage characterization was emphasized. In addition, during the SAPaC General Assembly, the researcher was elected as member of the new Board of Directors for the 2024-2028 period, reinforcing the role of the C2TN endorsing archaeometry in the Iberian Peninsula.
The works presented underline the importance of the C2TN multidisciplinary and contribution for a better understanding of archaeological issues, as well as to the development and application of analytical techniques for cultural heritage study.
The C2TN is a reference centre for research using nuclear techniques applied to cultural heritage, with a solid commitment to training and development of new approachs for the characterization, valorization and preservation of archaeological artefacts. According to the three Técnico researchers, ‘this event was an excellent opportunity to disseminate the diverse studies carried out at IST in the field of cultural heritage, allowing us to strengthen relations with our peers and establish new collaborations with national and international institutions’.