The conservation of wall paintings in archaeological sites can be difficult due to the severe damage caused by living organisms, which can degrade substrates as a result of their growth and metabolic activity. The purpose of this study was to provide information on the degradation processes affecting the artefacts of an archaeological site and to predict areas where conservation is most at risk and precarious. The study focussed on the archaeological site of Monte Sannace (Italy) and Paleopolis (Greece). We analysed the archaeological remains to study the biodeterioration of materials on site and to assess the potential risk of biological colonisation of newly exposed rock samples. This type of environment is a unique ecological niche, in which light, moisture, temperature, nutrient input and the porous nature of the substrate become favourable factors for microbial colonisation, which is often responsible for biodeterioration. Surveys were performed in three stages: before, during and after restoration. In this manner, it was possible to analyse the same sample after a given time interval and to understand the changes in chemical parameters and microbiological growth over time and as a function of the chemical compounds used in the restoration.
Moreover, the effects of a cover at the archaeological site relative to its conservation function and the control of biological growth were also examined. The soils surrounding the archaeological structures were also analysed to understand the biochemical phenomena unique to the environmental context within which the archaeological structures are located. In archaeological sites, soils provide the context in which to fit the artefacts that may be discovered and may also represent the degraded remains of archaeological materials. In this study, the techniques of microbiological and chemical analysis and soil analysis were employed to investigate the archaeological remains and artefacts of the study site. Furthermore, another objective was to test the effects of a roofing structure at the archaeological site relative to conservation and the control of biological growth. In this study, we used a multidisciplinary approach, correlating the results of biological analysis with those of chemical analysis. Tests were carried out to determine the extent of biodeterioration of materials and to assess the potential risk of biological colonisation of newly exposed rock samples. The tests were performed before, during and after the restoration.
