ISSN: 0022-1198
CODEN: JFSCA
Page Count: 7

Provenance and Authenticity of Roman Sculptures by Petrographic Techniques
Lombardi, G
Professor of Laboratorio di Petrografia, Universita' degli Studi di Roma “La Sapienza,”,

Lazzarini, L
Professor of Petrografia applicata, L.A.M.A. Dipartimento di Storia dell'Architettura, Istituto Universitario di Architettura,

(Received 7 February 1995; accepted 27 March 1995)

Abstract

Forensic petrographic methods—such as microscopy, X-ray diffraction and thin section examination—applied to materials of archaeological interest—provided reliable answers to questions related to their provenance. It could be demonstrated that the patina on a Roman marble statue had been faked and that the genetic history of earthy incrustations on the sculptures and on a fragment of marble from an illegal excavation site was the same, therefore indicating a common provenance. Moreover, the same techniques proved that a terracotta fragment found in the belts of an excavator was from the same area as the illegal excavation site.

Keywords:
forensic science, criminalistics, provenance, authentication, petrography, marbles, forensic geology

Paper ID: JFS13883J
DOI: 10.1520/JFS13883J
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