In the context of the preservation of cultural heritage, it is relevant to study the degradation mechanisms of materials of which historical constructions are made. Limestone was one of the most widely used materials in many monuments exposed to urban aggressive atmosphere that affected its durability. In this work, a limestone sample was collected from the masonry blocks of an ancient jamb of the historic entrance gate of Castello Svevo, Bari, Italy. The choice was based on its evident degradation, i.e. a deposit of black crusts. The laser cleaning process combined with laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) analysis was applied to remove and then characterize the altered limestone sample. The elemental composition of the ablated black crust and the underlying stone were determined by spectroscopic analysis of the plasma emitted using a double pulse (DP) LIBS configuration. The limestone sample was also subjected to a depth-profile analysis of the black crust area and the laser cleaned zones in order to identify and analyze the decrease or disappearance with depth of specific elemental components.

ArchaeoEpithaph is a musical composition for soloists and choir commissioned by PoliEtnico which is based on the "Epitaph of Seikilos", a Greek inscription founded in Aydin (Anatolia) and dated between the second and first century B.C. It is the oldest complete document in which poetic text, musical melodic notation and rhythmic notation expressed in lines and points may be experienced. The polyphonic elaboration maintains the melodic and rhythmic characteristics of the theme, using counterpoint and compositional procedures that aim to reuse the original material in order to reach a new expressive and artistic result. ArchaeoEpitaph will be performed during the Welcome Party from PoliEtnico Choir, and scientific lecture will present aspects of analyses and measurements of both the original theme and the polyphonic elaboration proposed by Giorgio Guiot.

The reassembly of a broken archaeological ceramic pottery from its fragments (called sherds) is an open and complex problem, which remains a scientific process of extreme interest for the archaeological community. All the solutions suggested by various research groups and universities, depend on external information such, the outline of sherds, the corners of their contour, some geometric characteristics, the matching of the discontinued surfaces due to fracture, the angles and curves on its boundaries, etc. In our approach the reassembly process is based on a different and more secure idea, since it is focuses on the thickness information encapsulated in the inner part of the sherds, which is not -or at least not heavily- affected by the presence of harsh environmental conditions and is safely kept within the sherd itself. The method is verified in various use case experiments, using cutting edge technologies and precise measurements on 3D models.

Shotgun metaproteomics applied to dental calculus is a tool that is providing unprecedented insights in ancient diet and health reconstruction. We apply a proteomic analysis of dental calculus deposits from individuals of two contemporaneous populations, Bovolone (Verona) and Sant’Abbondio (Pompeii), in order to provide more insight into the diet and health of individuals in middle Bronze Age Italy. Here we find that differences in protein preservation among individuals make comparing the two populations challenging. Nevertheless, we detect a number of dietary proteins, including wheats and eggs, which gains insight into food consumption practices during this period of social and economic change.

This paper presents the LA-ICP-MS analysis results of 40 selected glass pieces from the early Christian basilica of Ayios Kononas in the Akamas area. The site enlarges our knowledge on the glass consumption pattern in Cyprus and demonstrates possible new insights on the connectivity of the island with the surrounding regions. The obtained data provide an added value to the already recognized connectivity with Egypt and the Levant. Additionally, Ayios Kononas embraces promising indications concerning a connection with western Anatolia.