Reconstruction of Assyrian reliefs through the analysis of material stone

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17H04493
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 海外学術
• Research Field: Cultural assets study and museology
• Research Institution: Osaka Gakuin University
• Principal Investigator: Chikako E. WATANABE 大阪学院大学, 国際学部, 教授 (40290233)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 申 基チョル 総合地球環境学研究所, 研究基盤国際センター, 准教授 (50569283) ; 小口 和美 国士舘大学, イラク古代文化研究所, 教授 (90194521) ; 安間 了 徳島大学, 大学院社会産業理工学研究部(理工学域), 教授 (70311595)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: アッシリア / 浮彫 / 石材 / 微化石

Outline of Final Research Achievements

When Assyrian reliefs were removed from their original locations, they were cut into pieces for transportation and have been housed in various institutions all over the world including many private collections. We focused on their material stones to examine their characteristics by applying an interdisciplinary approach from the point of view of textual, artistic, chemical and biological studies. Most stones used for Assyrian sculptures are gypsum which, however, vary from pure gypsum to what can be described as limestone. Some special stones were brought back to Assyria after military campaigns, one of which are characterised by its presence of large microfossils on its surface.

Free Research Field

アッシリア学・美術史

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究はアッシリア浮彫について、従来の文献学・美術史的研究に加え、石材の科学分析データから浮彫断片の本来の帰属先を明らかにする可能性に挑戦した。長年の盗掘や文化財破壊で世界中に散逸している浮彫断片は、本来の帰属場所や出土地が不明であるものも多い。石材の科学的特性という視角から作品の帰属問題にアプローチするのは新たな知見で、本研究の学術的意義と位置づけられる。