National Research Council-National Institute of Optics, Largo E. Fermi 6, 50125 Firenze, Italy.
National Institute of Nuclear Physics, Via Bruno Rossi 1, Sesto Fiorentino, 50019 Firenze, Italy.
Molecules. 2021 Aug 30;26(17):5268. doi: 10.3390/molecules26175268.
Fayum mummy portraits, painted around 2000 years ago, represent a fascinating fusion of Egyptian and Graeco-Roman funerary and artistic traditions. Examination of these artworks may provide insight into the Roman Empire's trade and economic and social structure during one of its most crucial yet still hazy times of transition. The lack of proper archaeological documentation of the numerous excavated portraits currently prevents their chronological dating, be it absolute or relative. So far, their production period has been defined essentially on the basis of the relevant differences in their pictorial style. Our study introduces the use of Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) to assess the age of a fragment of an encaustic painting belonging to the corpus of the Fayum portraits. The unexpected age resulting from C analysis suggests the need to reconsider previous assumptions regarding the period of production of the Fayum corpus. Furthermore, our multi-analytical, non-invasive approach yields further details regarding the fragment's pictorial technique and constituting materials, based on spectral and morphological analysis and cross-sectional examination.
法尤姆木乃伊肖像画创作于大约 2000 年前，代表了埃及和希腊罗马丧葬和艺术传统的迷人融合。对这些艺术品的研究可以深入了解罗马帝国在其最关键但仍模糊不清的转型时期之一的贸易、经济和社会结构。由于对目前挖掘出的众多肖像画缺乏适当的考古记录，无论是绝对日期还是相对日期，都无法对其进行准确的年代测定。到目前为止，它们的制作时期基本上是根据其绘画风格的相关差异来确定的。我们的研究引入了加速器质谱 (AMS) 来评估法尤姆肖像画藏品中一幅蜡画的碎片的年代。C 分析得出的意外年龄表明，需要重新考虑之前关于法尤姆藏品制作时期的假设。此外，我们的多分析、非侵入性方法基于光谱和形态分析以及横截面检查，提供了关于碎片的绘画技术和构成材料的更多细节。
