USING THE TL PRE-DOSE TECHNIQUE FOR THE TL EXAMINATION OF GLASS MOSAICS

Abstract

Aiming at the evaluation of the dose absorbed by ancient mosaic glasses, we present the results of a study performed on eight glass mosaic tesserae from the two XI century byzantine World Heritage Greek monasteries of Daphni, outside Athens, and Hosios Loukas, in Phocis, 67 km from the capital. Exploiting the presence of quartz crystalline inclusions in the glass matrix, the dose was measured using the pre-dose effect associated to the 110°C peak of quartz. The preliminary encouraging results allowed the correct discrimination between the original tesserae and those related to modern restorations.