Metallurgy for Cultural Heritage: Capabilities and Case Studies

The presentation deals with the capabilities of metallurgical methods for the investigation of archaeological historical findings. The combination of chemical and structural analysis with metallurgical investigation results in a complete description of the objects, giving information on provenance and technological process.

The results concerning coins and small bronzes will be presented.

CV

Irene Calliari graduated in Physics in 1981 at the University of Padova, under the supervision of Prof. P. Mazzoldi, spent some years as technician in an electron microscopy and XRF laboratory at the University of Padua, is currently Assistant professor at the School of Engineering of the University of Padova (Italy) and carries out research in the Department of Industrial Engineering. Her research lies in the fields of phase transformation in stainless steels, gold alloys, metallurgical and archaeometric study of historical findings (bronze, coins, slags) for provenance and technological aims, surface treatments.

She was scientific responsible for national research projects concerning lean duplex and surface treatments, was involved in the Padova University project on medieval coins in cooperation with the Archaeological Department and in projects with museums (Este, Padova, Milano). She published more than 100 scientific articles in national and international scientific journals.

The didactic activity is structured both as lecturer in academic courses and as supervisor and co-supervisor of several master and PhD thesis in Mechanical and Material Engineering, Science and Technology for Cultural Heritage.

Lecturer at the courses: "Metallurgy" for Mechanical Engineering at Udine University, "Surface treatments" for Materials Engineering, Material Characterization for Material Engineering degree, Metallurgy for Cultural heritage at Padova University and in AIM summer schools.

Member of international and national scientific societies: EMAS,AIAr,AIM,CETAS), is responsible for Erasmus projects with KTH, Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, University of Budapest, Estremadura University.

Irene Calliari is head of the group "Products control and characterization", and "History of metallurgy", and in Scientific Committees of AIM and CETAS international conferences.

Member of international conferences, scientific committees (CETAS; AIAr) and referee for international journals (X-Ray Spectrometry, Corrosion Science, Material Characterization, La Metallurgia Italiana) and for European projects.