Mural paintings within the tomb of Setka, Qubbet el-Hawa, in Aswan, Upper Egypt, were investigated using a multi-disciplinary analytical approach (Stereomicroscopy, SEM-EXD and FT-IR spectroscopy). The walls of the tomb were hewn from fragile sandstone and covered by a clay plaster, overlaid by two layers of white gypsum plaster. SEM micrographs were indicative of the penetration of fungal mycelium within the pores of the gypsum plaster, forming white encrustations due to the re-precipitation of gypsum. SEM micrographs revealed that the calcification of the gypsum plaster had occurred due to its exposure to a high temperature. The EDX pattern for the white plaster gave the characteristic spectrum of gypsum, the blue pigment was Egyptian blue, the black pigment was magnetite, the white pigment was of gypsum (or anhydrite) and the yellow pigment was limonite. Finally, the FT-IR spectrum of the binder gave the characteristic features of gum Arabic.
Keywords: Calcification; Egyptian blue; Gum Arabic; Limonite; Magnetite; Plaster; Qubbet El-hawa.
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