Dr Juliet Spedding, a Postdoctoral Research Associate within the Department of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology, is pioneering a new method to analyse ancient Egyptian faience without damaging invaluable artefacts.
Faience, the first man-made non-clay ceramic, comprises a quartz or silica core with a distinctive turquoise glaze. Despite the abundance of faience objects, precise manufacturing techniques remain unknown. This is due to the destructive nature of traditional analytical methods. Dr Spedding has found a potential non-destructive alternative.
Inspired by a talk by Dr Adrian Hillier from the ISIS facility in Didcot, Oxfordshire, she learned about the use of muons. This is a type of fundamental particle which can be used to analyse the composition of objects. This method, which has been applied to ancient coins, offers a layered analysis critical for examining faience.
With the collaboration of Dr Hillier and Dr Sayani Biswas, Dr Spedding proposed a muon analysis project to the ISIS Neutron and Muon Source, part of the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC). She was granted two days of beam time. The limited period allowed for the analysis of only a few samples but marked a significant step toward developing a non-destructive method.
The process at the ISIS facility was meticulous, setting up the samples in aluminium foil, suspending them for beam exposure, and using four detectors to capture the results. The analysis required precise beam momentum adjustments to probe different sample layers, often running overnight to accumulate data.
Despite technical challenges and limited sample size, the experiment yielded promising results. One sample revealed potential insights into the glazing technique. Another detected elements missed by other methods. This all provided valuable information on technological practices and raw material choices.
Encouraged by these findings, Dr Spedding plans to seek more beam time to further explore ancient faience. Her innovative approach promises to uncover more about ancient Egyptian technological practices without compromising the integrity of the artefacts.