Nanotechnologies in Russia最新文献

A small sample of lead artifacts from the layers of the mid-6th–late 9th centuries uncovered on the Lower Town of Phanagoria, is analyzed using synchrotron X-ray diffraction analysis and multi-collector mass spectrometry. Several samples of lead artifacts from excavations of the Upper Town of Phanagoria on the Taman Peninsula, dated to the Classical period, are also included for comparison. All samples are found to contain cerussite and laurionite phases, as well as muscovite phases, which indicates significant archaeological exposure. The Pb isotope composition of 11 samples from the sample set revealed that, in the mid-6th century, lead from the mines of Lavrion (Attica), which had been imported to Phanagoria in antiquity (so-called “old” lead), was used. During the early medieval period of the Lower Town’s existence, Phanagoria primarily imported lead from deposits in the Eastern Mediterranean. Several samples dated to the mid-6th to mid-9th centuries are consistent in their Pb isotope composition with ores from deposits in the Massif Central (a mountain range located in central and southern France).

Textiles are an extremely rare find because organic matter is poorly preserved in the cultural layers of archaeological sites. Fragments of textile accessories, clothing parts, and cords are often extremely small, degraded, and mineralized due to prolonged exposure to soil. These factors make the analysis of fiber identification, determination of fiber type (plant versus animal) and technological characteristics of threads and fabric more difficult. Traditional methods used in the analysis of fibers and threads include optical (light) microscopy and macro photography; however, these methods are not always sufficient to analyze samples thoroughly. This study is devoted to the identification of the type of textile fibers from archaeological textile fragments using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Its first results will be used in further textile analysis. Determining the type of textile fibers is also important in the context of discussions of the issues relating to resource areas and trajectories of trade routes in ancient and medieval times.

This work analyzes the elemental composition of the buckles and belt end pieces discovered in eastern Crimea by metal-detectorists and submitted for study to academic research institutions. As part of the study, the alloy composition of 13 specimens of buckles and their fragments, as well as 5 specimens of belt end pieces, is studied in detail. These items date back to the second half of the 1st century to the beginning of the 5th century. Most of the items were in use in the second half of the 2nd century and the first half of the 3rd century. The study reveals that the majority of the items are made of zinc-containing alloys, including pure brass and multicomponent alloys.

The work presents the results of an investigation into the alloy composition of two notable ancient objects, metal tablets (pinakia) of dicasts with inscriptions, from the collections of the State Hermitage Museum and the East Crimean Historical and Cultural Museum Reserve. The two investigated tablets of dicasts are made from completely different materials. The Hermitage tablet was forged from “pure” copper, while the dicast tablet from the vicinity of Kerch was made from a sort of special bronze alloy, highly alloyed with tin and lead. This type of alloy was used to make the finest arrowheads for their time. The material was not important in the manufacture of these dicast “identification markers.” There was also no standardization in the production of such tablets. It is likely that the material was selected according to the preferences of the jurors themselves. The accumulation of data on the alloy composition of such scientifically valuable dicast pinakia in the future may help in determining those Greek cities from which they originate.

Morphologically relevant methods for digital, fully automated measurement studies of incisors are developed. This enables improvements of odontometric technique on three-dimensional dental models and studies of morphological traits that in traditional odontological research are usually described using visual approaches. The results of measurements using the developed morphometric analysis methods for paleoanthropological incisor samples from individuals Sungir-2 and Sungir-3 are compared with those obtained using conventional manual techniques. The application of new morphometric analysis methods, even for a limited range of parameters, allows to obtain new objective and results for comprehensive characterization of the studied teeth.

Chemical and technical studies are performed on the painting materials used for Madonna and Child, which is part of the collection of 15th–16th-century Netherlandish painting of the State Hermitage Museum. The first precise documentary records of this work date back to the Hermitage inventory of 1859, where it is mentioned as a painting of the Dutch school kept in Winter Palace at that time. Later the picture was moved to Gatchina palace, from where it was transferred back to the Hermitage after the revolution. The work was considered a copy reproducing the lost original by Jan Gossaert. The materials used in its painting and the artistic techniques involved are examined. Polarization microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis are employed to investigate the stratigraphy and pigment composition of the paint layers. The composition of the binder is determined by means of microchemical staining tests and pyrolysis-gas chromatography mass spectrometry. The results indicate that chalk was used as a primer with an animal glue binder. It is shown that the artist achieved the differences in shades between the blue areas by applying blue ultramarine over intermediate layers of different colors. For the lilac-blue of the Madonna’s dress, pink was used as the intermediate layer, with one of its components being a red organic pigment. The deep blue color of the Madonna’s dress was the result of applying ultramarine over a black paint layer containing carbon. Linseed oil was used as a binder for the paint layers. As a result of dendrochronological dating of the panel on which the work was executed (1494) and a comparison of various versions based on the results of conservation as well as chemical and technical studies, the hypothesis is advanced that this painting was made by Jan Gossaert himself. The material presented is highly relevant and should become the subject of scholarly discussion.

Using X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, the spatial features of the alloy composition distribution over the surface of the lid of a vessel with a sculptural representation of a dolphin found at the Polyanka settlement in the Crimean Azov region and dating to the second half of the 1st century BC is studied. The lid is made of highly alloyed lead-tin bronze, which is typical of the late Hellenistic period. A lead solder used to connect the rings of the hinge mechanism and to repair the tail end of the dolphin figurine is identified. A metallurgical feature of this object is the use of “pure” copper for the rod around which the lid rotated.

The study of the residue of a smoking pipe known as gaans (or “gansa”) dating to the early 20th century from the collection of the State Museum of Oriental Art provided an opportunity to identify the components of ‘smoking tobacco’ used in that period. The analysis of plant microfossils of the residue and comparative analysis with the shoot system of modern plants showed that tobacco was the main component of the smoking blend which also included poppy seed pods and wormwood leaves. The chemical and toxicological analysis using liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HPLC-QTOF-MS) identified alkaloids and metabolites (nicotine, nicotine-N-oxide, and nornicotine) contained in tobacco leaves and stems. Our analysis confirmed the presence of tobacco phytoliths in the analyzed smoking blend. The nitrogen and carbon isotopic compositions of the organic residue suggest that psychoactive plants such as wormwood which has a high isotopic ratio of nitrogen (δ¹⁵N) were mixed with the tobacco. The analysis showed that an anonymous smoker who lived in the early twentieth century blended tobacco and poppy seed pods with wormwood leaves to give it specific flavor and aroma. This blend catered to individual palates and preferences of the smoker or probably reflected cultural traditions of this individual. The study is important because it verified data obtained using three different methods.

The composition of liquids in three bottles from a sunken ship found by staff of the Underwater Research Center of the Russian Geographical Society during search and archaeological operations on the seabed in the northern part of the Gulf of Finland is studied using gas chromatography, high-performance liquid chromatography, and mass spectrometry. Based on the results of the study, it is assumed that two samples were sweet wines such as Cahors, Port, and Madeira, and the third sample was dry white wine.

The work considers a rod from horse equipment found during investigations at the Eklizi-Burun sanctuary, which is located on the top of Mt. Chatyr-Dag (the Main Range of the Crimean Mountains). The composition of the rod alloy is studied using the nondestructive method of X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. A range of analogies for the product and its dating are determined. It is found that the object under study was fixed to the outer loop of the bit and served for attaching the rein. Metal parts of horse bridles with rein rods are found on the territory of the northern Black Sea region in the second half of the 2nd–3rd century. The rod, like previously studied products of a similar design, is made of brass, which suggests the presence of a workshop for the manufacture of horse equipment in the region.