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Heavily magnified views of archaeological artifacts show off their extraordinary hidden beauty and reveal intriguing clues to how they were made and used long ago.
For example, a 17th century Persian textile contains fibers of silk thread individually wrapped with thin bands of metal. And the microstructure of a Cyprus needle retains the feel of the person who shaped it, in the traces of black corrosion that emerged from the needle’s rotation and hammering.
These enlarged archaeological images and others are featured in a new exhibit titled “Invisible beauty: the art of archaeological science, Which will open at the Penn Museum in Philadelphia on January 16.
Related: Magnificent photomicrograph: 50 little wonders
In another striking image, a bit of basalt sparkles in a ceramic roof tile from Gordion, a site in Turkey that had been inhabited since at least 2300 BC, during the early Bronze Age (the tile dates from the earliest half of the 6th century BC). Basalt, a volcanic rock, appears dull and black to the naked eye. But when seen in polarized light under a microscope, it sparkles with vivid colors.
Inclusions such as basalt in a roof tile can tell archaeologists whether the tile was made locally or imported, and this information can help them piece together historic trade routes and exchange networks, Marie-Claude Boileau said. , co-curator of the exhibition and director of the Center for Analysis of Archaeological Materials at the Penn Museum (CAMM).
The image is stunning not only because of the crystals saturated with color, but also for the story it tells, she told Live Science.
“We’re also trying to understand the technology of those who made these tiles – how they mixed the clays and how they added any kind of inclusions, including these pieces of basalt,” she said. All images in the exhibit were taken at CAMM, most of them taken by undergraduate and graduate students.
Since invention of the microscope in the 16th century, scientists used magnification and light to observe organisms and structures too small to be seen with the naked eye. Today, modern high-powered microscopes offer a glimpse into worlds that researchers centuries ago could only dream of seeing, such as a water flea giving birth, vessels surrounding the brain a juvenile zebrafish and even images of individual living cells In 3D.
Discoveries of ancient mummies, long lost cities, tools, jewelry and other artifacts help experts piece together humanity’s past, and imaging technologies enable scientists to conduct non-invasive investigations that don’t damage delicate materials. With microscopy, X-rays, magnetic radiometry, and infrared and ultraviolet light, scientists can access hidden evidence about ancient societies.
“People are really used to seeing archaeologists in the field doing the excavations; we really wanted to show the scale of analysis that we can do, ”said Boileau. “Even from the smallest piece of artifact or specimen, we get a lot of information about the past.”
Originally posted on Live Science.
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