Program on
Ancient Technologies and Archaeological Materials
at the
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

ATAM is a Division of the Illinois Transportation Archaeological Research Program

Some of these projects are pre-conservation studies: the examination of composition and technology to assist a conservator in stabilizing and preserving an artifact. An example is the conservation of a Nasca drum, a Peruvian ceremonial piece that dates to about 300 A.D., now at the Krannert Art Museum. When this ceramic drum was first made, it was decorated with red and black birds on a white-slipped surface. Subsequently the original surface was completely covered by a restorer who used layers of tinted plaster, clay, and his own painted birds. Analyses by X-radiography, CT-scanning, scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDS), and X-ray diffraction, have revealed the composition of the original ceramic body and slip, the nature of the restorer's materials, and the presence of a modern tack.

Other ATAM projects deal with authentication issues, using non-destructive techniques such as X-ray fluorescence and X-radiography to detect anachronisms in materials, composition, or technique. Our analyses have included Chinese bronzes and ceramics, Medieval Limoges enamel, a Byzantine gold necklace, a Tiepolo oil painting, a Wedgwood jasper-ware vase, Merovingian iron buckles, and Luristan bronzes.

Recent collaborations between ATAM and the Krannert Art Museum include a study of a Peruvian funeral cortege and a small exhibit on pottery from ancient Western Asia.