Beyond the visible: use of RTI technology in metal objects of the Italian Peninsula – MAE-USP Mediterranean collection

Abstract

In this paper, we propose to present the preliminary results of the postdoctoral research in progress at MAE-USP. The aim of the proposal is to critically contextualize the metal objects (adorning and ornaments) in bronze and iron from the collection of the Museum of Archeology and Ethnology at USP, acquired through an exchange that took place in 1964 between the then Museum of Art and Archeology at USP and Italian museums. The use of digital technologies applied to the material is part of the research, especially the Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI) technique, with which we were able to offer an effective instrument for analyzing the pieces. This material comes from the central-southern region of the Italian Peninsula, dating from the Iron Age, the Orientalizing period, and the Classical period. We intend to become Mediterranean collections of MAE-USP more dynamic, by deepening issues related to the Archeology of the Italian Peninsula's proto-historical and historical societies, by reviewing the literature, through comparisons and new archaeological research. With this study, we seek to better understand common socio-political aspects, the movement between cultures, and aspects related to burial practices. This research proposes to encompass the primary meaning of a University Museum: Research, Teaching, and Extension. Thus, we seek to reverberate the knowledge produced about this material to researchers in the area, the general public, and the museum institution. Our research intends to rescue a documentary history of the pieces' trajectory, their storage in the space of this Museum, their problems, and research history. We will organize the information in files cataloged in a database that will enable access to an organized collection, with complete information and high-resolution photos.