ENVIRONMENTAL DUST AS A TOOL TO STUDY THE ARCHAEOMETRY OF PATINAS ON ANCIENT ARTIFACTS IN THE LEVANT

Dust is a significant albeit under-recognized component of patinas that accumulates on exposed surfaces of artifacts. Storm dusts are ubiquitous in the Levant; however, often unnoticed key substances such as minerals, microfossils and pollen can be found within the patina of an artifact, preserving its geological signature. Modern anthropogenic aerosol sources are being released from power plants, vehicle exhausts, industrial plants, agricultural emissions, and heaters during the winter. The anthropogenic component of dust is often characterized by the presence of heavy metals, particularly Pb, V, Ni, Cr, Cu and Zn. Eucalyptus pollen stands out, for it is clearly not indigenous, being a modern import since the late 1800's. Likewise, pollen from fruits and shrubs that have been recently introduced, if found in the patina can be used to differentiate recent artifacts from those of antiquity. For example, the tomato, potato, eggplant and corn, all dietary staples today, are post-Columbus, coming from the Americas. Thus, archaeological materials that are exposed to local environmental/depositional processes in a tel, a cave, soils, or the ambient air of a laboratory, may accrete in a patina over time and may have some dust component reflective of the environmental record. Investigation of the included dust incorporated into a patina is one of the potential ways to determine the artifact's status. The scores of unprovenanced looted antiquities found in antiquity markets, auction houses, and museums all over the world have necessitated the need to differentiate a genuine artifact from a modern fraud. Since the geological component of the dust in the Levant is known, and the climate and its attendant wind patterns apparently were quite constant during historical times, the dust in the patinas of a true artifact is easy to differentiate from patinas containing modern dust. Both contemporary and historical dust are characteristic of a geographical climatic zone and can serve as a tool to authenticate an artifact.