A TECHNICAL EXAMINATION AND THE IDENTIFICATION OF THE WOOD, PIGMENTS, GROUNDS AND BINDER OF AN ANCIENT EGYPTIAN SARCOPHAGUS

This paper describes an ancient Egyptian polychrome wooden sarcophagu, s found in the Saqarra excavation, Egypt. Multiple analytical and examination techniques were carried out on that ancient Egyptian, polychrome, wooden sarcophagus, such as optical light polarizing microscopy, X-Ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with EDS and FTIR spectroscopy. The structure of the object was visually examined. The wood was identified as Ulmus wood, which helped and confirmed the history of that wooden sarcophagus. Ulmus wood type is not Egyptian wood, it was imported from Greece. The plaster layers were identified as calcite mixed with huntite, by using a combination of techniques The pigments used to decorate the Sarcophagus were identified as Egyptian blue cuprorivaite (CaCuSi4O10) as the source of the blue pigment The green pigment sample was identified by SEM-EDS, which indicated the presence of Cu, Si, Ca, as the main elements of the Egyptian green The black pigment was carbon black. The organic binder used was probably egg yolk and white egg with linseed oil.