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Abstract
The potential of using laser-assisted cleaning for the removal of burial encrustation and corrosion products on Egyptian glass fragments (from between 332 BCE and 395 CE) excavated from Sinai (Egypt) using a 10 nanosecond Q-switched Nd:YAG laser operating at 1064 nm has been assessed. A series of complementary analytical techniques including microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, static secondary ion mass spectrometry with a focused ion beam and scanning electron microscopy coupled with an energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer were employed to characterize the glass deterioration phenomena. Following the optimization of laser cleaning parameters, results suggest that laser cleaning successfully removes both the burial encrustation and degradation products, without damage to the underlying glass substrate.