In a period spanning from the 7th to the 1st century BC, the exterior surfaces of civil and sacred buildings in Italy were mainly decorated with terracottas. The aim of this study is to determine the skills and technological level reached by ancient manufacturers of painted ceramics from the sanctuary of Hercules in the archaeological site of Alba Fucens (Abruzzo, Central Italy). A multi-analytical approach including X-ray Powder Diffraction (XRPD), µ-Raman and portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) was applied to determine the mineralogical composition of terracotta samples and to identify the pigments decorating the ceramics. The studied terracottas were decorated using valuable pigments such as Egyptian blue as well as a palette of colors common in the Roman period from the 3rd to the 1st century BC. The mineralogical composition of the ceramics allows estimating a firing temperature lower than 800 °C. Finally, a local origin of raw materials is suggested by the presence of alluvial and lake deposits outcropping in the Fucino area.

This study investigates the application of NDTs for the detection of sub-surface defects in an ancient book, with the aim of improving conservation methods in the field of cultural heritage. A sequence of thermographic images in a solar loading thermography (SLT) scenario was acquired during a diagnostic campaign in Harbin, China, to identify four distinct fabricated dowels made of Wool, Rubber, Teflon^®, and Synthetic material. The images were processed in two ways: the first combined advanced image-processing methods: pre-processing via MdFIF, post-processing, PCT and RPCT, applied both to the original sequence and to the MdFIF-filtered thermograms. The second approach employed numerical simulations in COMSOL Multiphysics^® to develop a predictive thermal model. The comparison of localized thermal anomalies obtained from the two approaches demonstrated the capability of NDTs to reliably reveal artificial defects, confirming their suitability for diagnostic conservation. Overall, the integration of advanced image processing with numerical simulation enhances diagnostic accuracy, particularly for subtle or low-contrast anomalies, thereby enabling more informed condition assessment and supporting rapid, targeted, and preventive conservation strategies.

Archaeobotanical analyses in Italy are uneven in terms of geographical and chronological distribution. Amongst the different regions, Abruzzi is poorly represented, with only one study covering the Roman Age. In this framework, the analyses carried out on carpological remains collected from the Late Roman (late 5th–early 6th century AD) filling of a well in the Sanctuary of Hercules in Alba Fucens represents an important addition to the state of the art. The plant assemblage consists of over 1500 remains attributed to 68 different taxa. These are partly represented by gathered fruit plants, such as Corylus avellana, Juglans regia and Sambucus nigra, while cereals and pulses are missing. An interesting aspect is represented by evergreen plants (Pinus pinea and Cupressus sempervirens) that are likely to have been used for ritual purposes rather than for human consumption. Finally, the impressive amount of ruderal and spontaneous plants represents a unicum for this type of study, allowing us to describe the past environment surrounding Alba Fucens, characterized by substantial water availability, Apennine grasslands and influenced by human presence.

In this study, we employ solar loading infrared thermography to non-invasively assess the internal defects and degradation of the millennium-old composite wooden columns at Baoguo Temple