A comparative mobile Raman study for the on field analysis of the Mosaico de los Amores of the Cástulo Archaeological Site (Linares, Spain)

Abstract

An in situ archaeometrical campaign was organized in 2018 for the physicochemical analysis of the exceptional Mosaico de los Amores of the Cástulo archaeological site (Linares, Spain). Several mobile instruments were brought on the field to investigate the colourful tesserae of the mosaic. The main aim of the current research paper is the comparison of different mobile instruments and their applicability on measuring in open air environments. In this study, the comparison of four mobile Raman instruments, using different excitation lasers and technologies, is discussed. Three portable, the EZRaman‐I dual Raman analyser from TSI Inc. (USA), the i‐Raman® EX from BWTEK (USA), and the BWS445‐785S InnoRam™ Raman spectrometer from BWTEK (USA), and one handheld system, the Bravo Raman spectrometer from Bruker (Europe), are compared in terms of their characteristics, applicability, and performance when conducting non‐invasive and non‐destructive analysis.