Inorganic component in oak waterlogged archaeological wood and volcanic lake compartments

Sidoti, Giancarlo (author), Antonelli, Federica (author), Galotta, Giulia (author), Moscatelli, Maria Cristina (author), Kržišnik, Davor (author), Vinciguerra, Vittorio (author), Tamantini, Swati (author), Marabottini, Rosita (author), Macro, Natalia (author), Romagnoli, Manuela (author)

Waterlogged archaeological wood (WAW) is a rare and precious organic material that can hold outstanding cultural values. In order to protect WAW for the next generations, this material must be accurately characterised to set its proper conservation, storage and exhibition conditions in museum environments. In this study, the mineral content found in WAW retrieved in a volcanic lake was investigated by analysing wood ash through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS). This micro-destructive approach was coupled with morphological studies carried out through optical microscopy. SEM-EDS was also performed on the WAW and surrounding sediment to study the possible relationship between the mineral composition and the wood degradation state. The analysis revealed that calcium was the most abundant element in all poles, with weight percentages ranging between 24 % and 42 %. This element was more represented in heartwood (HW) than sapwood (SW). In sapwood the second most abundant element was arsenic. Sulfur, iron and potassium were present in all the analysed samples as well. Arsenic was also detected in the sediments; it was particularly concentrated in the samples taken near archaeological wood. The presence of this element can be linked to the volcanic origin of the lake, and its high concentration points to bioaccumulation processes induced by bacteria (erosion bacteria and sulfate-reducing bacteria) and biogeochemical processes favouring precipitation of insoluble compounds. The present work is the first investigation of the mineral content in archaeological wood establishing a contingent relationship with the surrounding volcanic lake sediments.

• Language: English
• Keywords: waterlogged archaeological wood
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: BF - Biotechnical Faculty
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2023
• Number of pages: Str. 3137–3149
• Numbering: Vol. 20, iss. 15
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-148210
• UDC: 630*8
• ISSN on article: 1726-4189
• DOI: 10.5194/bg-20-3137-2023
• COBISS.SI-ID: 160372995
• Publication date in RUL: 02.08.2023

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Biogeosciences
• Shortened title: Biogeosciences
• Publisher: Copernicus Publications, European Geosciences Union
• ISSN: 1726-4189
• COBISS.SI-ID: 522108441

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: arheološki les, voda

Projects

• Funder: Other - Other funder or multiple funders
• Funding programme: Italy, Ministry of University
• Project number: JPICH-19
• Name: Archaeological Wooden Pile-Dwelling in Mediterranean European lakes: strategies for their exploitation, monitoring and conservation
• Acronym: WOODPDLAKE