The scent of an archaic wreck: minimally invasive characterisation of archaeological finds

Abstract

The chemical characterisation of archaeological finds necessitates a continuous focus on the development of nano/micro-invasive methodologies. These methodologies yield insights into the historical background, production processes, and conservation state of the items, often revealing astonishing properties of materials that have been unexpectedly preserved over the centuries. This work aims to characterise the molecular composition of a putative historical resin recovered during an archaeological excavation in Campese Bay off the island of Giglio in the 1980s. The resin was sampled from a trade amphora used for wine transport; it was likely employed as a coating to ensure better waterproofing of the containers. The characterisation was performed by detecting specific molecular markers using a GC–MS direct injection approach. In addition, we investigated the volatile fraction of the same sample through solid-phase microextraction (SPME) coupled with GC–MS to address the need for a fast, solvent-free, and field-compatible sample preparation method.

Graphical abstract