PAINTED ROCK-CUT TOMBS IN CYPRUS FROM THE HELLENISTIC AND ROMAN PERIODS TO BYZANTIUM: MATERIAL PROPERTIES, DEGRADATION PROCESSES AND SUSTAINABLE PRESERVATION STRATEGIES

Abstract

The art of wall painting in Cyprus during the transitional period from Greco-Roman to Byzantine times introduced a wide spectrum of painting materials that reflect the social structure and organization of the period, provincial and transregional interactions and technological savoir faire. These materials include natural minerals – locally available or imported – organic fibers, gums, oils, artificially produced, high-fired vitreous composites and other chemically synthesized products. This paper investigates and presents the in situ alteration mechanisms that certain wall paintings have undergone due to physical and chemical processes caused by the adverse microclimate in enclosed rock-cut structures. It also proposes sustainable preservation strategies based on a holistic methodology, integrating novel scientific techniques for non-invasive in situ examination with state-of-the art non-destructive analysis of microsamples at the molecular scale.