Rock hyraces: a cause of San rock art deterioration?

Linda C. Prinsloo

36 citations0/0 files storedJournal of Raman Spectroscopy

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Cultural Heritage Materials Analysis Archaeology and Rock Art Studies Building materials and conservation

Abstract

Abstract San rock art sites are found throughout southern Africa, many showing signs of deterioration. In order to conserve this invaluable heritage, a long‐term multidisciplinary project has been launched to monitor the rate of their deterioration and determine the various chemical processes that are possibly contributing to the decay. This study was initiated to establish if Raman spectroscopy could contribute to this project and since rock hyrax colonies live in close proximity to many of these archaeological sites, the possible influence of their metabolic products on the deterioration process was investigated. The precipitates from the urine of rock hyraces were analysed with Raman and Fourier‐transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Where the urine was in contact with the faeces, the precipitates are a mixture of vaterite (a rare polymorph of CaCO3) and the hydrated salt calcium monohydrocalcite (also rarely found in nature). On areas where this contact is at a minimum the common and stable polymorph of CaCO3, calcite, is the main component. SEM micrographs and XRD analysis support the Raman and FTIR results. XRD, FTIR and preliminary GC‐MS analyses of hyraceum, the fossilised mixture of faeces and urine, identified an inorganic phase (potassium chloride, with small concentrations of other salts, e.g. vaterite and weddelite) and an organic phase, which is a cocktail of various aromatic compounds, mainly amides, alcohols and acids. These compounds could contribute to the crystallisation of these rare carbonates, as well as other uncommon salts detected on the cave walls, such as syngenite. The presence of phosphates in the urine may further act as a stabilizing agent. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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References

2004Black crusts and patinas on Pentelic marble from the Parthenon and Erechtheum (Acropolis, Athens): characterization and origin 2000Raman spectroscopic analysis of pigments and substrata in prehistoric rock art 1999An initial Raman microscopic investigation of prehistoric rock art in caves of the Quercy District, S.W. France 1998Fourier-transform Raman spectroscopic study of pigments in native American Indian rock art: Seminole Canyon 2002Characterisation of painting materials from Eritrea rock art sites with non-destructive spectroscopic techniques

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