Recent progress in the analysis and structural characterisation of materials has an increasing impact on studies of archaeological specimens. A need to embody such research into a new interdisciplinary field has appeared. In this ARW we intended to bring together archaeologists and historians with physicists, chemists, crystallographers and pharmacists, around the theme of structural information on complex archaeological materials. Within this vast area, the ARW has mainly focused on cosmetic-therapeutic chemicals. The objectives of this NATO ARW were twofold: - Delineating the contour of molecular and structural archaeology as an emerging interdisciplinary field based on structural analysis at the molecular level. - Examining novel methodologies to reconstruct the scenario of synthesis and transformation in the long term of compounds used in antiquity for health and beauty. The strong interdisciplinarity of this meeting has been greatly favoured by the NATO ARW organisation allowing the mixing of different fields and disciplines with convergent general goals. This Workshop has shown that the molecular and structural sensibility is a powerful tool towards the setting, and often the solution, of difficult archaeological and historical problems. Ten different nationalities (Europe, Egypt, USA) were represented in the ARW, and this mixing has contributed to the large range of subjects and archaeological contexts. Thus, a mutual interaction between Archaeology and Physical Sciences is expected. The most obvious part is associated with extended use of any possible technique and method to get as much information about the archaeological samples as possible.

Inhalt
Inventing a science of make-up.- Etruscan gold dental appliances.- Preparation and Use of Perfumes and Perfumed Substances in Ancient Egypt.- Analysis of different materials used in Ancient Egypt.- Pigments in Artwork, Cosmetics and Archaeology: The role of Raman Microscopy in their Identification.- A Multidisciplinary Approach to Pigment Analysis: King's Yellow and Dragon's Blood from the Winsor and Newton Pigment Box at the Victoria and Albert Museum.- Multispectral Spectroscopy through Tuneable Multispectral Reflectoscopy between 200 nm and 3500 nm.- Spectroscopic Techniques for the Investigation of Sicilian Cultural Heritage: two different Applications.- A Non-Destructive Analysis by Neutron Diffraction inside Make-up Containers Of Ancient Egypt.- Unveiling the structure of ancient lead pigments. Example of «lead white».- MOSSBAUER Spectra of two ancient ceramic products from Moldova.- Chemical Reactivity of Molecular Systems in Media Organized at the Molecular Level.- Is Supramolecular Organisation a Key Factor for Long Term Preservation?.- Asru, an Ancient Egyptian Temple Chantress: Modem Spectrometric studies as Part of the Manchester Egyptian Mummy Research Project.- Metal Threads in Historical Textiles.- New Synchrotron Radiation-based Imaging Techniques and Archaeology.- The Use of Focussed X-Ray Beams for non-Destructive Characterization of Historical Materials.- Advances in Art and Archaeology Using X-Ray Synchrotron Radiation.- Microstructure Determined by X-ray Diffraction Peak Profile Analysis: a Fingerprint in Archaeology.- SR-based Molecular Speciation of Archaeomaterials.- Recent Achievement and Perspectives in Synchrotron Radiation X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy.- The Emergence of Pathogenic Bacteria and their Impact on Human Civilization: theCase of Plague BacillusYersinia pestisInfectious diseases and human civilization.- Supramolecular Chemistry, Chirality and Archaeology.- Invisible in Archaeological Ceramics: Research Problems.- Molecular Characterisation of Materials: a New Challenge for Analytical Chemistry.