by Melissa
What is microscopy?
At its simplest, microscopy is the analysis of a material sample underneath a microscope. Despite its simplicity, microscopy can reveal very important information such as the composition of the material, how the material was constructed or altered, and indications of wear and tear, which could then lead to theories on the material’s use. This scientific analysis can be performed on a wide array of materials — for example, it can be executed on rocks, ceramics, metal, cloth, and leather, just to name a few — and is done by taking a small sample of the material being analysed which is put onto a microscope slide. Microscopy is a broad technology, and can include the use of a variety of microscopes, such as a regular light microscope (the microscope most everyday people are familiar with), a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), and a Raman Microscope. SEMs use electrons instead of light to magnify the sample, and therefore provide a higher resolution than regular light microscopes. In a similar manner, Raman Microscopes user lasers instead of regular light.
How can microscopy be used?
An example of how microscopy can be used is shown in the picture with the captain ‘Microscopic image of a woven textile’. From this microscopic image, the analyst could determine the weave type, the thread count, and other information pertinent to the textile’s structure. Additionally, microscopy can show how the textile has worn throughout time and if there were any mended sections. Similar information can be obtained for other historic and artistic materials. In fact, this kind of analysis was performed on the famous Ice Man’s axe (see Artioli). Furthermore, in an art setting, microscopy can be used to identify pigments and what was used for the preparation layer of the work (see Burgio).
Why is microscopy important?
Microscopy is an important scientific analysis technique for material objects. It helps the analyst determine morphological properties of the object in question. In particular, this is helpful because it can discover whether there is any damage to the material, and what steps can be taking to slow down that deterioration. Furthermore, by knowing the exact substances the material is made of, proper conservation practices can be selected.
For more general information concerning microscopy, consult:
Doménech-Carbó A., Doménech-Carbó M.T., Costa V. (2009) Application of Instrumental Methods in the Analysis of Historic, Artistic and Archaeological Objects. In: Doménech-Carbó A., Doménech-Carbó M.T., Costa V. (eds) Electrochemical Methods in Archaeometry, Conservation and Restoration. Monographs in Electrochemistry. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007%2F978-3-540-92868-3_1 Accessed April 26 2018.
Greene, Kevin & Moore, Tom (2010) Archaeology: An Introduction. (5th edition). Oxon: Routledge.
Rzhevskii, Alexander. (2016). ‘Basic Aspects of Experimental Design in Raman Microscopy’. Found at: http://www.spectroscopyonline.com/basic-aspects-experimental-design-raman-microscopy . Accessed April 28 2018.
For full bibliography visit: References.
Scientific Analysis & Conservation Tech 