Ancient Pigments in Afrasiab Murals: Characterization by XRD, SEM, and Raman Spectroscopy
The Afrasiab murals discovered in the northeast of Samarkand, Uzbekistan—the center of the ancient Silk Road—are presumed to date to the mid-seventh century during the Sogdian era. Although previous studies have examined the primary materials of the pigments used in these murals using chemical and m...
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MDPI AG
2021-08-01
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| Series: | Minerals |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/11/9/939 |
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| author | Dong-Hyeok Moon Na-Ra Lee Eun-Woo Lee |
| author_facet | Dong-Hyeok Moon Na-Ra Lee Eun-Woo Lee |
| author_sort | Dong-Hyeok Moon |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Afrasiab murals discovered in the northeast of Samarkand, Uzbekistan—the center of the ancient Silk Road—are presumed to date to the mid-seventh century during the Sogdian era. Although previous studies have examined the primary materials of the pigments used in these murals using chemical and microscopic analyses, in-depth investigations of the pigment raw material composition have not been conducted to verify the results of these studies. We applied X-ray diffractometry, Raman spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy in conjunction with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy for the first time to identify the raw materials of ancient pigments in fragments obtained from the Afrasiab murals. The results show that lazurite, cinnabar, and amorphous carbon were used as blue, red, and black pigments, respectively. Moreover, we identified that pigments were not directly painted on the wall surface; instead, they were painted on a white undercoat of gypsum plaster, similar to other ancient Silk Road wall paintings. The results of this study can benefit the provision of more accurate information with regard to the composition of raw materials and further support the selection of appropriate substances for the purposes of conservation and restoration of Afrasiab murals. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T07:25:31Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d98559cc0b894797897f858ce9827992 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2075-163X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T07:25:31Z |
| publishDate | 2021-08-01 |
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| series | Minerals |
| spelling | doaj.art-d98559cc0b894797897f858ce98279922023-11-22T14:20:51ZengMDPI AGMinerals2075-163X2021-08-0111993910.3390/min11090939Ancient Pigments in Afrasiab Murals: Characterization by XRD, SEM, and Raman SpectroscopyDong-Hyeok Moon0Na-Ra Lee1Eun-Woo Lee2Conservation Science Division, National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage, Daejeon 34122, KoreaConservation Science Division, National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage, Daejeon 34122, KoreaPlanning and Coordination Division, National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage, Daejeon 34122, KoreaThe Afrasiab murals discovered in the northeast of Samarkand, Uzbekistan—the center of the ancient Silk Road—are presumed to date to the mid-seventh century during the Sogdian era. Although previous studies have examined the primary materials of the pigments used in these murals using chemical and microscopic analyses, in-depth investigations of the pigment raw material composition have not been conducted to verify the results of these studies. We applied X-ray diffractometry, Raman spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy in conjunction with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy for the first time to identify the raw materials of ancient pigments in fragments obtained from the Afrasiab murals. The results show that lazurite, cinnabar, and amorphous carbon were used as blue, red, and black pigments, respectively. Moreover, we identified that pigments were not directly painted on the wall surface; instead, they were painted on a white undercoat of gypsum plaster, similar to other ancient Silk Road wall paintings. The results of this study can benefit the provision of more accurate information with regard to the composition of raw materials and further support the selection of appropriate substances for the purposes of conservation and restoration of Afrasiab murals.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/11/9/939Afrasiab muralssilk roadUNESCO world heritageancient pigmentraw materialsmineral composition |
| spellingShingle | Dong-Hyeok Moon Na-Ra Lee Eun-Woo Lee Ancient Pigments in Afrasiab Murals: Characterization by XRD, SEM, and Raman Spectroscopy Minerals Afrasiab murals silk road UNESCO world heritage ancient pigment raw materials mineral composition |
| title | Ancient Pigments in Afrasiab Murals: Characterization by XRD, SEM, and Raman Spectroscopy |
| title_full | Ancient Pigments in Afrasiab Murals: Characterization by XRD, SEM, and Raman Spectroscopy |
| title_fullStr | Ancient Pigments in Afrasiab Murals: Characterization by XRD, SEM, and Raman Spectroscopy |
| title_full_unstemmed | Ancient Pigments in Afrasiab Murals: Characterization by XRD, SEM, and Raman Spectroscopy |
| title_short | Ancient Pigments in Afrasiab Murals: Characterization by XRD, SEM, and Raman Spectroscopy |
| title_sort | ancient pigments in afrasiab murals characterization by xrd sem and raman spectroscopy |
| topic | Afrasiab murals silk road UNESCO world heritage ancient pigment raw materials mineral composition |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/11/9/939 |
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