Eleni Aloupi

THETIS AUTHENTICS LTD · R&D

In order to study the provenance of the clays used for the black-glaze (BG) decoration of Athenian pottery, we analysed in situ with the use of a Bruker handheld-PXRF system ~ 100 Geometric, Archaic and Classical decorated sherds from the 19th century excavations at the Acropolis of Athens (Graef and Langlotz, 1933), Boeotian ware from the Kavirion...

The decorated black- and red-figured Athenian vases (6th and 5th century BC) and the plain black glazed ware represent a milestone in our material culture due to their aesthetic and technological value; the Attic black glaze is of particular interest since it is a highly resistant potash-alumino-silicate glass, colored by magnetite nanocrystals (<...

In contrast to other 16th and 17th century painters whose work has been extensively studied, information regarding Theotokopoulos works is very scarce technical and poorly documented. The restoration of El Greco’s Baptism of Christ, by the Conservation Department of the Benaki Museum, Athens, provided a unique opportunity to examine, analyze and do...

This paper deals with archaeological issues which lend themselves to a simple but very effective treatment by means of x-ray spectroscopy. The common feature of all the samples presented here is that they can be reduced to a simple spectroscopic question concerning the presence or absence of certain chemical elements in the ancient pigments.

New evidence is reported here using transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and laser reflectance for the nature of the black glossy decoration layer present on the Attic black or red figure vases of the sixth to fourth century BC. The black layer, of total thickness about 20 μm, consists mainly of poly crystalline magnetite...

The study of the ancient black ceramic coating that decorates the surface of Classical and Hellenistic pottery from Attica and other main production centres in the Mediterranean has been the subject of more than three centuries of research. The physicochemical characterisation and analysis of the black glaze/gloss (BG) with the use of a broad spect...

Α new, testable, interpretation of the function of Aegean Early Bronze Age ‘frying pan’ ceramics that combines some previously suggested uses is presented experimentally. The proposed function involves a well‐documented natural phenomenon responsible for the rapid change in colour of a natural salt marsh or salt pan surface due to the explosive pop...

Many museum educational programs and exhibitions worldwide, designed to communicate to the public the importance of archaeology, adopt a treasure hunt approach often inspired by emblematic mass culture figures, such as Indiana Jones or Lara Croft. Alternatively they organize exhibitions on the identification of fakes in the spirit of TV series such...

This poster refers to a contemporary, low-cost clay survey in Attica (Greece) undertaken by the authors in the frame of a research project on the production of decorated classical Athenian pottery. The survey made use of traditional methodology (geological maps, topography, ethnographic data) and benefited by contemporary services (google earth/map...

Many museum programs world-wide teach children the importance of archaeology, a detective-like story inspired by “Indiana Jones” or organize exhibitions on the identification of fakes and forgers in the spirit of “X-files”, but they usually avoid dealing with the “real” problem of illicit trafficking of antiquities. The hesitation of promoting this...

(English Synopsis) The authentication and identity verification of artwork is a multidimensional issue that typically needs time-consuming approaches and extended sampling. The goal of the present study was the development of an easily identifiable elemental tagging technique, which could be applied for the identification of archaeological artefact...

poster presented at the IIC Congress, Conservation and the Eastern Mediterranean, Istanbul

It is shown, through a study of decorated ceramics from Eastern Attica, that the use of simple and cost effective analytical techniques, when combined with a thorough theoretical and experimental understanding of ancient ceramic technology is often sufficient to answer archaeologically relevant questions. The analysis of the polychrome white ground...

In spite of numerous publications dealing with materials and processes of attic pottery a proper understanding of the ancient production technology can only be achieved by actually going one step further i.e. by establishing a full-scale production unit. In doing so a number of issues become apparent that can shed new light on ancient ceramic craft...

Poster presented ... Bulgaria

During the last few decades, there have been an increasing number of research projects using analytical techniques dealing with the study of early Byzantine pottery from several sites in the eastern Mediterranean. Most of this research focuses on the identification of ‘imported’ and problematic wares, without referring to the mineralogical and chem...

(English Synopsis) The restoration of El Greco’s Baptism of Christ, undertaken by the Conservation Department of the Benaki Museum, Athens, provided a unique opportunity to examine, analyze and document the material and technical aspects of the painting by using non-destructive physicochemical techniques, as presented here, and micro analytical tec...

The paper presents a series of in-situ Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence (EDXRF) measurements performed in Greece and Cyprus for the characterization and quantitative analysis of valuable archaeological and historical artifacts, such as pigments on wall paintings and ceramics as well as gold and bronze alloys on sculpture and jewelry. The variou...

The hemispherical and shallow Cypriote white-slip (WS) vessels have been called "milk bowls" solely for their appearance. The first organic residue analysis of the white-slip layer of ten sherds, ranging from proto-WS to WS II, shows that they were used as serving bowls for hot cooked meals containing meat and animal fat, vegetable oil, leafy veget...

(English Synopsis) The authenticity of a unique and undocumented gold statuette of Aphrodite from the Hellenistic Collection of the Benaki Museum was examined by combining microscopic, analytical and dating techniques. The statuette consists of a clay core covered by a gold layer. The composite nature of the statuette leads to the formulation of th...

A series of sherds representing the White Slip sequence at Kouklia, was studied in detail by applying analytical Scanning Electron Microscopy, petrographic analysis and X-ray Diffraction. The results show progressive changes in the raw materials used for the slip and the dark decoration, in the various categories of the archaeological classificatio...

The project forms part of a large-scale multidisciplinary study of ancient ceramic technology in Cyprus from the Late Neolithic to the Hellenistic period. The aim is to establish a solid understanding of ancient Cypriote ceramic technologies and thus provide a complementary perspective to the archaeological research on Cyprus and the Aegean. The fi...

A series of pottery sherds that represent the most dominant groups of fine tableware in the early Byzantine Eleftherna (early 5th c - end 7thc) were analysed in order to answer questions related to provenance and production aspects. The provenance questions are addressed by the combination of petrographic examination with trace element analysis of...

The paper presents preliminary results of a close collaboration of scientists and archaeologists in the framework of a research program that refers to a large scale systematic study of ancient ceramic technology in Cyprus from the Late Neolithic to the Classical period, making use of modern analytical techniques, computer-aided data handling and ev...

Six terracotta figurines of the Cypro-Archaic I and II periods (750-475 B.C.), belonging to the De­partment of Oriental Antiquities of the Musee du Louvre were analysed non-destructively by using the PIXE technique (Proton Induced X-ray Emission Spectroscopy). The analyses were carried out at the AGLAE accelerator facility (Accelerateur Grand Louvr...

THE NEW SYSTEMATIC APPROACH TO THE STUDY OF ANCIENT TECHNOLOGY IS BASED ON THE PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF THE CERAMIC BODY AND THE SURFACE DECORATION(SLIPS, GLAZES AND OTHER PIGMENTS) IN CONJUCTION WITH REPRODUCTION EXPERIMENTS UNDER LABORATORY CONDITIONS. IN THIS WAY, THE INFORMATION OBTAINED FROM THE APPLICATION OF PHYSICOCHEMICAL TECHNIQU...

A number of geological flint pieces collected at several sites in northwest Greece were examined using electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy. The aim was to determine characteristic peaks which could be associated with the geology of a particular region. In addition, a data basis was created for the behavior of the ESR peaks when the flints we...