Posters by Amalia Faustoferri
Riassunto L'esame della morfologia del territorio, integrato con i dati forniti da documenti d'ar... more Riassunto L'esame della morfologia del territorio, integrato con i dati forniti da documenti d'archivio e da recenti ricognizioni, permette di delineare gli ambiti culturali dell'Abruzzo meridionale pertinenti ai popoli italici noti rispettivamente come Frentani, Lucani settentrionali e Sanniti (Pentri). La conseguente proposta di ripartizione in zone è quindi supportata da uno studio dei materiali archeologici, provenienti da scavi estensivi e scoperte fortuite, in base al quale sembra possibile far risalire già al primo arcaismo quelle differenziazoni nell'ambito dell'ethnos safino che hanno condotto alla formazione dei vari gruppi tribale noti dalle fonti.
The Samnite bronze belts and the chest disk cuirasses (VIII–IV BC) are the distinctive defensive ... more The Samnite bronze belts and the chest disk cuirasses (VIII–IV BC) are the distinctive defensive weapons of the Samnite warriors having likely also a symbolic relevance. These artefacts were mainly found during the archaeological excavations of warriors' graves from ancient Abruzzo (central Italy). Their chemical composition, met-allurgical features and corrosion products formed during the long-term burial have been studied by means of the combined use of analytical techniques such as optical mi-croscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray micro-analysis (SEM–EDS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The micro-chemical and structural results show that the bronze belts have often been produced by using unusual high-tin bronze alloys achieving a silver-like appearance and by performing tailored cycles of thermal treatments under reducing conditions and hot mechanical working aimed to shape the high-tin alloys in the form of a thin bronze sheet. Furthermore, the investigation has shown that the main al-loying elements have been transformed during the burial into mineral species giving rise to the formation of stratified structures constituted by different mineral phases such as tin oxides, cuprous oxide (Cu 2 O) and copper carbonates (azu-rite (Cu 3 (CO 3) 2 (OH) 2 and malachite (CuCO 3 Cu(OH) 2)) as well as dangerous chlorine-based compounds such as nantokite (CuCl) and atacamite (Cu 2 (OH) 3 Cl) polymorphs. This information evidences the strict interaction of the al-loying elements with the soil components as well as the occurrence of the copper cyclic corrosion as a post-burial degradation phenomenon. The present study confirms that the combined micro-chemical and micro-structural investigation techniques such as SEM–EDS, XPS, XRD and OM can be successfully used to investigate the technological production processes of the ancient artefacts and to achieve the detailed micro-chemical and structural description of the corrosion products useful for the identification of degradation agents and mechanisms and, thereafter, to propose a reliable tailored strategy for the conservation.
During their conquest of Italy, the Romans fought protracted wars against the Samnites, who occup... more During their conquest of Italy, the Romans fought protracted wars against the Samnites, who occupied upland central Italy (modern day Molise, southern Abruzzo and parts of Campania). Most of what we know about the Samnites comes from later Roman authors and the excavation of Samnite cemeteries.
A key research question concerns how this upland landscape was exploited and the degree of mobility within and beyond the region. Textual sources for the late republican (1st century BC) and early modern periods (16th century AD+) document the practice of long-distance (horizontal) transhumance, i.e. moving animals between the lowlands during winter months and the uplands during the summer. There is ongoing scholarly debate about if and how such transhumance, crossing multiple territories, would have been possible prior to the imposition of centralised control by the Roman state, or if the movement of animals was much more localised (i.e. vertical transhumance).
To investigate whether horizontal or vertical transhumance was practised during the pre-Roman period, we undertook isotope analysis of the teeth of 12 individuals from three recently excavated cemetery sites of sixth century BC date: Barrea (località Colle Ciglio) and Barrea (località Convento) in the upper Sangro valley, and Tornareccio in the lower Sangro valley (Abruzzo, Italy). Carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios from sequential samples of human dentine were used to provide a timeline of metabolic and dietary change from approximately 2.5 to c.20 years of age. The data were combined with oxygen and strontium isotopes from human enamel to track seasonal migrations during childhood. This research represents the first application of isotopic analysis for human remains of Samnite date.
Papers by Amalia Faustoferri
Annali della Facoltá di Lettere e Filosofia. 1. Studi classici, 1983
Mélanges de l'Ecole française de Rome. Antiquité, 2003
Journal of Roman Archaeology, 1998
Collection de l'Ecole française de Rome, 2006
Mélanges de l'École française de Rome. Antiquité, 2003
L’esame della morfologia del territorio, integrato con i dati forniti da documenti d’archivio e d... more L’esame della morfologia del territorio, integrato con i dati forniti da documenti d’archivio e da recenti ricognizioni, permette di delineare gli ambiti culturali dell’Abruzzo meridionale pertinenti ai popoli italici noti rispettivamente come Frentani, Lucani settentrionali e Sanniti (Pentri). La conseguente proposta di ripartizione in zone è quindi supportata da uno studio dei materiali archeologici, provenienti da scavi estensivi e scoperte fortuite, in base al quale sembra possibile far risalire già al primo arcaismo quelle differenziazoni nell’ambito dell’ethnos safino che hanno condotto alla formazione dei vari gruppi tribale noti dalle fonti.
Un insediamento altomedievale in località S. Angelodi Archi (CH) : relazione preliminare, 1995
Applied Surface Science, 2018
Archaeological high-tin copper-based artefacts, dated back to VIII and IV centuries BC and recent... more Archaeological high-tin copper-based artefacts, dated back to VIII and IV centuries BC and recently discovered in the Italic necropolises of ancient Abruzzo (Central Italy), were investigated in order to determine the microchemical and micro-structural nature of the corrosion products and the chemical composition and metallurgical features of the alloys. The Cu-based artefacts were defensive weapons mainly as bronze belts and pectoral disc armours with engraved decorations. A rather detailed picture of the chemical composition, structural and morphological characteristics of such Cu-based artefacts was provided by combining different techniques as scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), optical microscopy (OM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The results, as a whole, evidence that some artefacts were manufactured by casting and shaping uncommon high-tin bronze alloys thus conferring an attractive silver-like appearance. The manufacturing process was based on tailored multiple hot hammering, carefully carried out at about 700°C to shape the high-tin alloys in the form of sheets avoiding breaking. The mechanical work was followed by an annealing treatment, polishing and final decorative finishing. Furthermore, our investigation on the corrosion process, suggest that it is a mixture of rather complex phenomena leading to the degradation of the main alloying elements which give rise to mineral alteration products in the form of complex structures. These latter contain SnO 2 (cassiterite), cuprous oxide, copper carbonates (azurite and malachite) and, in particular, chlorine-based compounds like nantokite and atacamite and its polymorphs, which have heavy detrimental effects, their presence being considered a symptom of the destructive "bronze disease" degradation phenomenon. Moreover, it was found an unusual presence of re-deposited Cu inclusions to be likely related to long-term corrosion processes and to a low oxygen availability in the burial environment. All these findings show, as a whole, that there is a strict relationship between alloy elements, metallurgical features, burial soil conditions and chemical and structural features of the corrosion products. This paper highlights also as the combined use of different techniques as SEM-EDS, ATR-FTIR, XPS, XRD and OM can be one of the possible successfully way to study the corrosion products of archaeological copper-based artefacts, thus helping to choose the more appropriate strategies for the long-lasting conservation of archaeological bronze artworks, in most cases so valuable for the cultural heritage.
Archaeologiae Una storia al plural: Studi in memoria di Sara Santoro
Riflessioni sulle genti della valle del Sangro, 2011
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Posters by Amalia Faustoferri
A key research question concerns how this upland landscape was exploited and the degree of mobility within and beyond the region. Textual sources for the late republican (1st century BC) and early modern periods (16th century AD+) document the practice of long-distance (horizontal) transhumance, i.e. moving animals between the lowlands during winter months and the uplands during the summer. There is ongoing scholarly debate about if and how such transhumance, crossing multiple territories, would have been possible prior to the imposition of centralised control by the Roman state, or if the movement of animals was much more localised (i.e. vertical transhumance).
To investigate whether horizontal or vertical transhumance was practised during the pre-Roman period, we undertook isotope analysis of the teeth of 12 individuals from three recently excavated cemetery sites of sixth century BC date: Barrea (località Colle Ciglio) and Barrea (località Convento) in the upper Sangro valley, and Tornareccio in the lower Sangro valley (Abruzzo, Italy). Carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios from sequential samples of human dentine were used to provide a timeline of metabolic and dietary change from approximately 2.5 to c.20 years of age. The data were combined with oxygen and strontium isotopes from human enamel to track seasonal migrations during childhood. This research represents the first application of isotopic analysis for human remains of Samnite date.
Papers by Amalia Faustoferri
A key research question concerns how this upland landscape was exploited and the degree of mobility within and beyond the region. Textual sources for the late republican (1st century BC) and early modern periods (16th century AD+) document the practice of long-distance (horizontal) transhumance, i.e. moving animals between the lowlands during winter months and the uplands during the summer. There is ongoing scholarly debate about if and how such transhumance, crossing multiple territories, would have been possible prior to the imposition of centralised control by the Roman state, or if the movement of animals was much more localised (i.e. vertical transhumance).
To investigate whether horizontal or vertical transhumance was practised during the pre-Roman period, we undertook isotope analysis of the teeth of 12 individuals from three recently excavated cemetery sites of sixth century BC date: Barrea (località Colle Ciglio) and Barrea (località Convento) in the upper Sangro valley, and Tornareccio in the lower Sangro valley (Abruzzo, Italy). Carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios from sequential samples of human dentine were used to provide a timeline of metabolic and dietary change from approximately 2.5 to c.20 years of age. The data were combined with oxygen and strontium isotopes from human enamel to track seasonal migrations during childhood. This research represents the first application of isotopic analysis for human remains of Samnite date.
To stimulate synergy, this volume brings together an international group of experts from different fields and backgrounds. It opens up the discussion by offering fresh viewpoints and new evidence for the political organization, social life, mountain settlement, cults and cult sites, and finally the character of Samnite and Roman expansionism.