News
– AHMAT’s research project «Development, characterization, and evaluation of the performance of new materials for the desalination of cultural and historical heritage assets» (PLEC2021-007705) has been granted for the next three years by the European Union (NextGenerationEU) and the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through the State Research Agency (call «ayudas a proyectos de I+D+i en líneas estratégicas, en colaboración público-privada, del Programa Estatal de I+D+i Orientada a los Retos de la Sociedad, en el marco del Plan Estatal de Investigación Científica y Técnica y de Innovación 2017-2020») with a total budget of 437.041,05 €. AHMAT will coordinate the project, which will be performed by a consortium involving TOLSA SA, CellMat Technologies SL, and TRYSCA SA (11/2021).
– Dr. Javier Pinto presented at the MetroArchaeo 2021 conference, held in Milan (Italy) from October 20 to 22 two AHMAT’s works: «Raman Spectroscopy Study of Ancient Vaccaei (s. IV-I BC) Glass Beads found at the Necropolis of “Las Ruedas” (Padilla de Duero, Valladolid, Spain)» (Authors: Javier Pinto, Suset Barroso-Solares, Jorge Souto, Elvira Rodríguez, Carlos Sanz-Minguez, and Carmelo Prieto) and «Pigments identification and analysis of the state of conservation of the decorative elements of the castle of Coca (XV-XVI AC, Segovia, Spain) by Raman Spectroscopy» (Authors: Suset Barroso-Solares, Irene Mediavilla-Martinez, Carlos Sanz-Velasco, Carmelo Prieto, and Javier Pinto) (10/2021).
– AHMAT’s measurement campaign «Ion beam analysis of ancient vaccaean glass beads (VACCAEANGLASS)», financed by the IPERION HS programme, was succesfully carried out from October 11 to 15 at the AGLAE facilities at the Louvre Museum (Paris, France). A large set of detailed data on the elemental composition of 67 ancient glass beads have been obtained, providing remarkable information about their potential origins (10/2021).
– AHMAT’s measurement campaign «IR-Spectroscopy and Microscopy Characterization of archaeological glass beads from the ancient Vaccaei culture», financied by Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin, was succesfully carried out from October 4 to 10 at the synchrotron BESSY-II facilities (Berlin, Germany). Detailed information about the preservation state and surface alterations of 65 sampels have been obtained (10/2021).
– A new AHMAT’s teaching innovation project «Development of teaching strategies from the virtualization of teaching resources of Geology, Crystallography, and Archaeology», has been granted by the University of Valladolid, continuing and extending to the Archaeology field the work accomplished in the project «Virtualization of Geology and Crystallography teaching resources: Minerals, Rocks and Fossils» (10/2021).
– AHMAT’s research team visited the asphalt mines of Arraia-Maestu (Vitoria, Spain), looking for samples whose characterization could help determine the origin of the bituminous samples found in the Necropolis of «Las Ruedas». The collaboration during the organization and development of the visit of Mr. Javier Suso, Mr. Rufino López de Alda, and the Major of Arraia-Maestu Mr. Anartz Gorrotxategui is gratefully acknowledged (09/2021).
– AHMAT’s teaching innovation project «Virtualization of Geology and Crystallography teaching resources: Minerals, Rocks and Fossils», founded by the University of Valladolid, finished its first year of development. The first photogrammetric models produced can be consulted in the Skechtfab account «AHMAT-UVa«, whereas the first examples of sample’s datasheets can be found here: Minerals, Rocks, and Fossils (texts in Spanish) (07/2021).
– AHMAT’s measurement campaign «Unveiling the manufacturing process of sophisticated ancient polychrome glass beads (IV-I BC)» has been granted in June 2021 at the CENIEH facilities (Burgos, Spain) (06/2021).
– AHMAT’s measurement campaign «Ion beam analysis of ancient vaccaean glass beads (VACCAEANGLASS)» has been granted in October 2021 at the AGLAE facilities at the Louvre Museum (Paris, France) by the IPERION HS programme (05/2021).
– AHMAT’s measurement campaign «IR-Spectroscopy and Microscopy Characterization of archaeological glass beads from the ancient Vaccaei culture» has been granted in October 2021 at the synchrotron BESSY-II facilities (Berlin, Germany) (05/2021).
– New research article «Investigating glass beads and the funerary rituals of ancient Vaccaei culture (S. IV‐I BC) by Raman spectroscopy» published in an Special Issue of the Journal of Raman Spectroscopy (01/2021).
– The AHMAT’s research project «Análisis físico-químico de las cuentas de vidrio del yacimiento Vacceo de Pintia: una ventana al pasado de la Ribera del Duero» has been granted with 172.000 € by the Junta of Castile and Leon for the period 2021-2023 (VA210P20). This project aims to perform a detailed archaeometric study of a wide selection of ancient glass beads recovered in the necropolis of «Las Ruedas» (Pintia, Padilla de Duero, Valladolid, Spain) (12/2020)
Newspaper article (26/01/2021, in Spanish)
– Mrs. Irene Mediavilla presented her Master in Physics’ thesis entitled «Analysis and characterization of the construction mortars of the Coca castle (Coca, Segovia, Spain)», providing the first archaeometric analysis about the mortars of this historic building (09/2020)
– AHMAT’s work «Investigating glass beads and the funerary rituals of ancient Vaccaei culture (s. IV-II BC) by Raman Spectroscopy», presented by Dr. Javier Pinto, was awarded with the «Best Presentation Award» at the 10th International Congress on the Application of Raman Spectroscopy in Art and Archaeology (RAA2019) held in Postdam (Germany).
– AHMAT’s work «Presence and Applications of Bituminous Materials on the Ancient Vaccaei Culture: a
Nondestructive Spectroscopic Study» was presented by Dr. Javier Pinto at the IMEKO TC-4 METROARCHAEO 2019 held in Firenze (Italy)