About

Founded in 2016, the Competence Center Archaeometry Baden-Württemberg (CCA-BW) has developed from the archaeometry section of the applied mineralogy work group. The CCA-BW is an interdisciplinary research centre that connects material science with archaeological disciplines.

The CCA-BW is headed by Dr. Christoph Berthold, professor Klaus G. Nickel and senior professor Klaus Bente. It is funded by the Baden-Wuerttemberg ministry of science, the Helmut Fischer Institut für Elektronik und Messtechnik GmbH and the excellence initiative at the University of Tuebingen, totalling 800,000 € over a period of three years.

The CCA-BW research activities focus on the analysis of archaeological materials via archaeometric methods with a special emphasis on non-destructive analyses. It also aims to the development of flexible and mobile analytical setups. The analyses of the chemical and mineralogical composition of archaeological materials together with study of their micro-structure allows the identification of raw materials in order to reconstruct their provenance. Moreover, they enable a better understanding of manufacturing traditions as well as the deterioration processes of archaeological finds. From these type of analyses, conclusions can be drawn about cultural and technological developments related to different periods. In addition, the suitability of conservation and restoration strategies and the authenticity of analysed objects can be tested. These investigations require the use of many different analytical techniques, as well as experimental archaeological studies.

In this context, the CCA-BW and its industry partner, Helmut Fischer Institut für Elektronik und Messtechnik GmbH, are going to develop a mobile analytical setup, which will allow high resolution non-destructive analyses with multiple methods. With this setup it will be possible to study artefacts directly in museums, perform measurements on immobile cultural monuments or analyse new finds already in the field. However, the newly developed techniques are also to be applied to problems of material science, such as the surveillance of industrial processes, engineering of materials, and failure analysis.

 

Links:

Arbeitsgruppe Angewandte Mineralogie (Prof. K. G. Nickel)

Arbeitsgruppe Experimentelle Mineralogie (Prof. M. Nowak)

Gesellschaft für Naturwissenschaftliche Archäologie ARCHÄOMETRIE e.V.
Deutsche Mineralogische Gesellschaft

Where to find us

Competence Center Archaeometry Baden-Wuerttemberg (CCA-BW)
Wilhelmstr. 56 (Lothar-Meyer-Bau)
D - 72074 Tübingen