The Application of Analytical Archaeometry in Underwater Cultural Heritage – A Case Study from Patagonia, Argentina.

DOLORES ELKIN; HOWELL G. M. EDWARDS; MARTA S. MAIER

Analytical Archaeometry

Royal Academy of Chemistry

Lugar: Cambridge; Año: 2012; p. 546 - 572

This chapter discusses the particular characteristics that archaeological material recovered from underwater environments usually present  and the protocols recommended for a successful  subsequent application of analytical techniques.  It then presents,  as  a case study, the analyses of  the content of glass and ceramic artefacts recovered from the  British sloop of war, HMS Swift, which sank off Patagonia in 1770. The application of nondestructive and minimally destructive  analytical techniques provided a characterisation of the molecular components of some of these materials, indicating that several samples correspond to materia medica of the time.  On the other hand, FTIR spectroscopy has been applied for preliminary analysis of the class of compounds in three of the organic samples. Further analysis by GC-MS allowed assignment of lipid and resinous material composition. Two of the organic samples are lipid substances, one related to food. A resinous substance derived from Pinaceae wood tar has been identified as well.