International research is moving towards the development of BIM (Building Information Modelling) libraries applied to the built heritage where one of the main issues to be addressed is the modelling of complex or unique shapes that represent the specific construction components of every single asset. This perspective addresses the generation of parametric families of representative architectural geometry in the context of the management and representation of a building of heritage value. Jordan's architectural heritage has gone through a long period of evolution and development: the result is a mixture of influences and traditions, making a great stride to conserve its buildings and Historical Heritage but has never adopted advanced digital technologies such as Building Information Modelling. In this framework, the present research aims to bridge the gap in Jordan by applying digital technologies to support heritage conservation plans by creating a 3D library of BIM objects related to typical elements of Jordanian and Arabic architecture, specifically in two cases of study. Co-production and collaboration with diverse stakeholders were central to the development of the methodology and design of the research.As a result, the first open-access HBIM shared library of historical features of Jordanian built heritage will be consolidated; this is crucial because it will set a precedent for the further documentation and conservation of the heritage of traditional cities in Jordan, MENA countries and internationally by promoting social cohesion, economic and technological development, tourism and the awareness of Jordan's cultural heritage.

Using past material and spiritual remains, cultural heritage examines communities' identity formation across time. Cultural heritage requires public and private institutions to care about its restoration, maintenance, conservation, and promotion. Through a bibliometric perspective, this study has analyzed, quantified, and mapped the scientific production of the fourth industrial revolution applied to heritage studies from 2016 to 2021 in the Scopus and Web of Science databases. Biblioshiny software from RStudio was employed to categorize and evaluate the contribution of authors, countries, institutions, and journals. In addition, VOSviewer was used to visualize their collaboration networks. As a main result, we found that augmented reality and remote sensing represent the research hotspot concerning heritage studies. Those techniques have become common in archaeology, as well as museums, leading to an increase in their activity. Perhaps, more recent tools, such as machine learning and deep learning, will provide future pathways in cultural heritage from data collected in social networks. This bibliometric analysis, therefore, provides an updated perspective of the implementations of technologies from industry 4.0 in heritage science as a possible guideline for future worldwide research.

Architectural heritage is a testament to human and natural development, and the process of human social development can be glimpsed through the study and exploration of heritage. However, in the long history of human social development, architectural heritage is vanishing, and protecting and restoring such heritage is a pressing issue in contemporary society. This study applies the evidence-based theory of medicine to the virtual restoration practice of architectural heritage, which focuses more on scientific data-driven research and decision-making than does traditional restoration. Combined with the practice of evidence-based medicine, the stages of digital conservation of architectural heritage for virtual restoration based on evidence-based design are investigated, forming a comprehensive knowledge system consisting of clear objectives, evidence-based research, evidence assessment, virtual restoration-guided practice, and post feedback. In addition, it is emphasized that the restoration of architectural heritage should be founded on the outcomes obtained through evidence-based practice that have been translated into evidence, in turn creating a rigorous evidence-based system with high-frequency feedback. The final illustration of the procedure is the Bagong House in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. The examination of this practice line provides a scientific, humanistic, and practicable theoretical framework for the restoration of architectural heritage and fresh ideas for the restoration of other cultural assets, which have significant practical application value.

Recently, research on outstanding universal value (OUV) protection and tourism development at World Natural Heritage sites (WNHSs) has attracted scholarly attention. The aesthetic value of natural landscapes is a powerful driving force for tourism development. Using this approach as an entry point to study aesthetic value protection and tourism development will help to relieve the contradiction between protection and development and promote the sustainable utilization of heritage sites. However, no comprehensive literature review has examined research on aesthetic value protection and tourism development at WNHSs. To fill this gap, we used a systematic literature review framework, and bibliometric analyses of 194 journal articles were collected from the Web of Science (WOS) and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) databases. The results show the following: (1) the overall fluctuating upward trend in the number of publications indicates that the research in this field is gradually expanding, the regions studied in the literature are mainly focused on China, Italy and Australia, and the research institutions conducting the research are mainly Asian universities. (2) The landmark research achievements mainly focus on theoretical foundation, model construction, monitoring and evaluation, technical measures and other dimensions and the implications for World Heritage karst sites (WHKSs), where theoretical research is the main focus, and that research on monitoring and evaluation, technical measures and model construction is relatively limited. (3) On this basis, 7 key scientific and technological issues are summarized and provide insights into future research directions for the conservation of aesthetic values and tourism development at WHKSs, and future research should strengthen knowledge of natural heritage conservation based on aesthetic value identification and focus on the theoretical basis of the coordination between the conservation of aesthetic value and tourism development at WNHSs. Research should explore the science and technology and measures associated with the coordination between aesthetic value conservation and tourism development, and reveal the mechanisms and paths for coordination between WNHS conservation and tourism development in karst areas.

The Alessandrina Library was founded in 1667 by pope Alexander VII Chigi and is nowadays housed in the Campus of Sapienza University of Rome (Italy). Within its Ancient (mostly made of rag paper) and Modern (mostly made of contemporary paper) collections, it includes more than one million books produced from the XVI to the XXI century. In 2019, six thermo-hygrometers were deployed in its multi-storey repository to monitor temperature (T) and relative humidity (RH). Hourly T and RH data collected over 2 years allowed us to evaluate spatial and temporal thermo-hygrometric distributions and to carry out a comprehensive assessment of the climate-induced risks (mechanical, chemical, and biological deterioration mechanisms). Vertical temperature gradients associated with unstable conditions occurred in winter, resulting in upraising air flows up to the ceiling. The risky short-term RH fluctuations (EN 15757:2010) were determined to avoid mechanical stress in case of loans, relocation, and consultation. The Time Weighted Expected Lifetime (TWEL) index was used to evaluate the chemical risk for different paper-based collections as a function of their acidity and degree of polymerisation, also considering the typical response time of paper books to T and RH changes. The TWEL calculation estimated that the durability of acidic paper was around 300 years and highlighted that rag paper could be subject to cellulose hydrolysis only in summer and autumn, while contemporary paper was mostly at no risk. The risk of mould germination (Sedlbauer diagram) was possible on few days in Autumn, while the production of insect eggs (Brimblecombe empirical function) was favoured during approximately 42% of time over the year. In addition, illuminance and colorimetric measurements (performed on selected book covers) showed that light-sensitive objects could be exposed to the photodeterioration risk in the east-facing side of the repository. Although the investigation focussed on a specific case study, a similar approach could be effectively adapted to most library and archival repositories conserving paper-based collections.

This paper presents the results of the first X-ray fluorescence (XRF) investigation conducted on three late medieval chalices associated with Ireland: the Ó Learghusa chalice, auctioned as medieval Irish in 2021, does not have a confirmed provenance; the de Burgo-O'Malley chalice, dated 1494, and the TP-IEP chalice, dated 1589, both of Irish provenance. This study effectively addressed the knowledge gap concerning Irish medieval silver chalices composition. The analysis revealed that both the Ó Learghusa and de Burgo-O'Malley chalices were crafted from a silver-copper alloy and adorned using a fire-gilding technique. The blue and green enamels on the de Burgo-O'Malley chalice were found to be constituted by cobalt and iron/copper glasses, respectively. In contrast, the TP-IEP chalice exhibited a more intricate structure, being a composite object with partial silver gilt and with the bowl and base possibly made of a ternary silver-copper-gold alloy. The TP-IEP chalice's knop displayed glass, simulating gems with transparent, blue, and purple colorations. XRF analysis allowed identification of lead-potash glass, while the red glass displayed a rich iron content and was identified as soda-lime glass. The analysis allowed concluding that the de Burgo-O'Malley chalice had retained its original condition, including its original gilding and enamels, while the Ó Learghusa and TP-IEP chalices appeared to have undergone refurbishment. These significant discoveries contribute to a deeper understanding of the historical context and artistic craftsmanship behind these late medieval chalices, shedding light on their unique stories within Irish art and history.

Medieval bindings fragments have become increasingly interesting to Humanities researchers as sources for the textual and material history of medieval Europeans. Later book binders used these discarded and repurposed pieces of earlier medieval manuscripts to reinforce the structures of other manuscripts and printed books. That many of these fragments are contained within and obscured by decorative bindings that cannot be dismantled ethically has limited their discovery and description. Although previous attempts to recover these texts using IRT and MA-XRF scanning have been successful, the extensive time required to scan a single book, and the need to modify or create specialized IRT or MA-XRF equipment for this method are drawbacks. Our research proposes and tests the capabilities of medical CT scanning technologies (commonly available at research university medical schools) for making visible and legible these fragments hidden under leather bindings. Our research team identified three sixteenth-century printed codices in our university libraries that were evidently bound in tawed leather by one workshop. The damaged cover of one of these three had revealed medieval manuscript fragments on the book spine; this codex served as a control for testing the other two volumes to see if they, too, contain fragments. The use of a medical CT scanner proved successful in visualizing interior book-spine structures and some letterforms, but not all of the text was made visible. The partial success of CT-scanning points to the value of further experimentation, given the relatively wide availability of medical imaging technologies, with their potential for short, non-destructive, 3D imaging times.

Digital technologies have altered social interaction and information transmission, creating new cultural communication media and models. Despite extensive investigations into the effect of digital communication on handicraft intangible cultural heritage (ICH), research on the relationship between the factors that influence the digital communication of handicraft ICH is relatively scarce. This study used open-ended interviews and textual analysis to obtain data concerning these influencing factors. A grounded theory approach found that five core factors have significant effects on the digital communication of handicraft ICH. These are digital communication awareness, cultural communication initiative, adaptability of digital technology, audience acceptance and cognition, and uncontrollable factors. Furthermore, a theoretical "awareness-behavior-attitude" model based on an analysis of the relationships between the five factors was constructed. Finally, the action mechanism of the theoretical model was identified and tested, revealing that the action modes of each influencing factor were inconsistent. Antecedent factors were directly proportional to awareness-behavior, situational factors were inversely proportional to awareness-behavior, and regulatory factors were inversely proportional to behavior-attitude. In addition, situational factors and regulatory factors were found to have a positive impact on antecedent factors.

Medieval paper, a handmade product, is made with a mould which leaves an indelible imprint on the sheet of paper. This imprint includes chain lines, laid lines and watermarks which are often visible on the sheet. Extracting these features allows the identification of the paper stock and gives information about the chronology, localisation and movement of manuscripts and people. Most computational work for feature extraction of paper analysis has so far focused on radiography or transmitted light images. While these imaging methods provide clear visualisation of the features of interest, they are expensive and time consuming in their acquisition and not feasible for smaller institutions. However, reflected light images of medieval paper manuscripts are abundant and possibly cheaper in their acquisition. In this paper, we propose algorithms to detect and extract the laid and chain lines from reflected light images. We tackle the main drawback of reflected light images, that is, the low contrast attenuation of chain and laid lines and intensity jumps due to noise and degradation, by employing the spectral total variation decomposition and develop methods for subsequent chain and laid line extraction. Our results clearly demonstrate the feasibility of using reflected light images in paper analysis. This work enables feature extraction for paper manuscripts that have otherwise not been analysed due to a lack of appropriate images. We also open the door for paper stock identification at scale.

The removal of varnish from the surface is a key step in painting conservation. Varnish removal is traditionally monitored by examining the painting surface under ultraviolet illumination. We show here that by imaging the fluorescence lifetime instead, much better contrast, sensitivity, and specificity can be achieved. For this purpose, we developed a lightweight (4.8 kg) portable instrument for macroscopic fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM). It is based on a time-correlated single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) camera to acquire the FLIM images and a pulsed 440 nm diode laser to excite the varnish fluorescence. A historical model painting was examined to demonstrate the capabilities of the system. We found that the FLIM images provided information on the distribution of the varnish on the painting surface with greater sensitivity, specificity, and contrast compared to the traditional ultraviolet illumination photography. The distribution of the varnish and other painting materials was assessed using FLIM during and after varnish removal with different solvent application methods. Monitoring of the varnish removal process between successive solvent applications by a swab revealed an evolving image contrast as a function of the cleaning progress. FLIM of dammar and mastic resin varnishes identified characteristic changes to their fluorescence lifetimes depending on their ageing conditions. Thus, FLIM has a potential to become a powerful and versatile tool to visualise varnish removal from paintings.

In recent years, the conservation and protection of ancient cultural heritage have received increasing attention, and non-destructive testing (NDT), which can minimize the damage done to the test subject, plays an integral role therein. For instance, NDT through active infrared thermal imaging can be applied to ancient polyptychs, which can realize accurate detection of damage and defects existing on the surface and interior of the polyptychs. In this study, infrared thermography is used for non-invasive investigation and evaluation of two polyptych samples with different pigments and artificial defects, but both reproduced based on a painting by Pietro Lorenzetti (1280/85-1348) using the typical tempera technique of the century. It is noted that, to avoid as far as possible secondary damages done to the ancient cultural heritages, repeated damage-detection experiments are rarely carried out on the test subjects. To that end, numerical simulation is used to reveal the heat transfer properties and temperature distributions, as to perform procedural verification and reduce the number of experiments that need to be conducted on actual samples. Technique-wise, to improve the observability of the experimental results, a total variation regularized low-rank tensor decomposition algorithm is implemented to reduce the background noise and improve the contrast of the images. Furthermore, the efficacy of image processing is quantified through the structural-similarity evaluation.

This work presents the results of a transdisciplinary analysis performed on Harward's Almanac (Dublin, 1666), an extremely rare volume currently housed in the National Library of Ireland. The uniqueness and historical value of the Almanac is related to the presence of nineteen handwritten poems, entered by an anonymous scribe. These record textually important English clandestine satire circulating anonymously in Dublin in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth century. Following a comprehensive historical assessment, it appeared evident that the current order of leaves was incorrect. To reconstruct the correct order of the leaves, and hence the likely sequence in which the manuscript poems were inscribed, this study employed a codicological/paleographic analysis complemented by analytical (X-ray fluorescence, XRF) and statistical (Self Organizing Map, SOM) investigation. Specifically, point XRF analysis was carried out for each handwritten page of the Almanac, allowing identification of ink elemental compositions (iron-based ink) and successfully supporting the validity of historical hypotheses on the poems' order of inscription. The statistical organization of XRF data by SOMs allowed easy bi-dimensional visualization of the data set (54 points) and identification of ink similarities, once more validating the historical assessment.

The bronze doors of the Basilica of San Zeno in Verona, Italy, are a special case in art history research. They were made by several workshops during the twelfth century: stylistically, two to three workshops were assumed to produce the metal parts of the door. However, it is still unclear when exactly and if this interpretation can be supported by the chemical composition of the metal. In this research we aimed to verify the art history interpretation by identifying the alloy composition of each individual metal plate. The composition of the supporting wooden structures are discussed. A portable ED-XRF instrument and optical microscopes were used to analyse and document the doors non-invasively. The doors were also photographed to produce high resolution orthophotos and 3D models. We can confirm that the metal parts of the doors were made of leaded tin-bronze as well as leaded brass and mounted on a wooden structure mainly made of spruce and oak wood. Chemically, two/three different groups of alloys have been identified, which can be associated with two or three different workshops, and which largely correspond to the stylistic interpretation.

Daylight fluorescent pigments with their intense color effects have attracted great interest among artists since their market launch in the mid-twentieth century. Since then they have been widely used in the visual arts. The pigments are mainly compositions of organic fluorescent dyes and optical brighteners diluted in an insoluble resin. Due to the susceptibility of the dyes to visible and UV radiation, their lightfastness is comparatively low. This paper presents a comprehensive study of the color and fluorescence changes of daylight fluorescent paints upon exposure in visible light and ultraviolet radiation conducted on mock-ups of commercial daylight fluorescent pigments. The different aging characteristics of the pigments depend on the color tone. They were recorded by means of photographic and colorimetric documentation. In addition, Raman spectroscopy was used to identify the main dyes of the various pigments, even in the complex system of paints, consisting of primer, binder, resin and dyes, and to determine their degradation during aging. Fluorescence spectroscopy revealed that the change in fluorescent color may not only be due to the decrease in dye concentration, but also to the transformation of the original dyes into other fluorescent compounds during light aging. Finally, this paper provides recommendations for the presentation of artworks containing daylight fluorescent pigments.

As non-renewable cultural heritages, murals have important implications in historical customs, religions, and philosophy as well as their aesthetic values. Recently, many murals are threatened by natural factors and human activities. During the past decades, there are increasing interest in the investigation of murals. Here we review the current status of murals and provide an up-to-date summary of achievements related to murals. The murals that draw the most attention are distributed in Mexico, Ireland, China, and Spain. The aesthetics, history, cultural, educational, and economic values of murals are comprehensively analyzed. The main research technologies used to detect the chemical compositions and physical structures of murals are also summarized. The restoration of murals includes several procedures such as stabilization, repair, surface cleaning, and pigment reconversion. Emerging technologies such as computer science benefit the research and conservation of murals. We also propose that tourism management and climate change should be incorporated into the conservation of murals in the future.

Cultural heritage is closely linked with individual historical figures, who become a key focus for cultural tourism. Confucianism laid the foundation for much of Chinese civilization, and Confucius and Mencius have been studied extensively and have been influential in many parts of the world. Zhu Xi, the founder and master of Neo-Confucianism (an important part of the Mount Wuyi world cultural heritage), has received less research attention. With the big bang of the metaverse, research on the immersive cultural heritage digital documentation and information service for historical figures has become a new perspective. This paper presents a metaverse-based digital documentation framework for historical figures. This framework addresses the digitization of multimodal data for cultural heritage and adapts to the needs of metaverse presentations. For cultural research and cultural preservation, the paper has explored a combined contactless virtual and real cultural heritage experience system. For tourists, we intend to develop an immersive and holistic cultural tourism information service before, during and after the tour. In particular, we have also developed the Zhu Xi metaverse system. This is a step forward in the construction of a metaverse of historical figures.

Mobile internet and digital technology provide new media platforms for the dissemination of handicraft intangible cultural heritage (ICH). Despite extensive research into the effect of user experience (UX) on handicraft ICH applications (apps), there is little quantitative research on the relationship between user needs and app design requirements. This study employed semi-structured interviews, online questionnaire surveys, and expert evaluation to understand and rank user needs and design requirement influencing factors. A quantitative analysis using the Kano-QFD approach revealed the different effects of twelve user needs and twenty-three design requirements on handicraft ICH app design. Following the establishment of a relationship matrix between user needs and design requirements, the app design requirements were ranked according to importance. Furthermore, a concept-category-application UX app design framework was constructed based on an analysis of the importance of design requirements. The concept layer formed the theoretical basis for the UX app design, the category layer represented the different facets of the UX design, and the application layer provided specific suggestions on the importance of app design. The eye-movement experiment and System Usability Scale were used to test the UX effects of a sample handicraft ICH app, verifying that the UX design framework was reliable. The framework provides methodological reference for the UX design of other ICH digital products.

As non-renewable cultural heritage, wall paintings play an important role in society. To reveal the trends in the scientific analysis of mural paintings, 845 relevant research articles published from 2011 to 2021 were collected from the Web of Science database and analyzed. The VOSviewer software was adopted to map the network data of scientific publications, so that relationships among authors, countries, institutions can be displayed, and the co-occurrence of keywords and co-citation can be analyzed. The results revealed close and strong interconnections between the top authors, suggesting a considerable strong research link in this field. The cooperation between research institutions was relatively close. The most productive country of relevant publications was Italy. The leading journals for the scientific analysis of wall paintings were and . At present, the hotspots of scientific analysis and research on wall painting are revealing the composition, distribution, origin, and deterioration mechanism of pigments, alongside with evaluating the effects and mechanism of conservation materials and techniques. On the one hand, a possible development direction in this field is introducing more cutting-edge analysis and data processing methods. On the other hand, scientific analysis is increasingly adopted to guide the research and development of mural conservation materials.

A of the type, which typologically belongs to the second half of the 4th and early 5th century CE, was excavated in 2018 in the Roman city of Augusta Raurica, present-day Kaiseraugst (AG, Switzerland). This was analyzed for the first time for its elemental composition by using the non-destructive technique of Muon Induced X-ray Emission (MIXE) in the continuous muon beam facility at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI). In the present work, the detection limit is 0.4 wt% with 1.5 hours of measurement time. The fibula was measured at six different positions, at a depth of 0.3-0.4 mm inside the material. The experimental results show that the fibula is made of bronze, containing the main elements copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), tin (Sn) and lead (Pb). The compositional similarities/differences between different parts of the fibula reveal that it was manufactured as two "workpieces". One workpiece consists of the knob (13.0±0.6 wt% Pb), bow (11.9±0.4 wt% Pb) and foot (12.5 ± 0.9 wt% Pb). These show a higher Pb content, suggesting a cast bronze. The spiral (3.2 ± 0.2 wt% Pb), which is part of the other workpiece, has a comparatively lower Pb content, suggesting a forged bronze.

Cultural heritage objects made of wood can be preserved under waterlogged conditions for many years, where decay is slowed down and the wood structure is more or less completely filled with water. Depending on the degree of degradation, finds may collapse and shrink when they are allowed to dry in an uncontrolled manner after excavation, leading to total loss of the object and its information. Conservation measures are taken to prevent damage of objects and dimensional stability is an important criterion. In this study, structured-light 3D scanning and micro-computed tomography were used to analyse the dimensional stability of wood after conservation, as well as its long-term stability. 83 samples from a reference collection established between 2008 and 2011 allowed this comparative study of the most common conservation methods at that time. The effects of conservation methods using alcohol-ether resin, melamine-formaldehyde (Kauramin 800), lactitol/trehalose, saccharose, and silicone oil on dimensional stability were investigated. In addition, different polyethylene glycol (PEG) treatments with subsequent freeze-drying were also investigated: one-stage with PEG 2000, two-stage with PEG 400 and PEG 4000 and three-stage with PEG 400, PEG 1500 and PEG 4000. The data received from analyses of both volume and surface gave detailed information about the success of each conservation method. Attempts were made to quantify the damage patterns, specifically shrinkage, collapse, and cracks. While PEG and freeze-drying, alcohol-ether-resin, as well as the Kauramin 800 method gave the best results, analysis also highlighted the failures of each method.

An innovative green organogel was designed to simultaneously tackle inorganic compounds (i.e., iron corrosion) and organic substances (i.e., acrylic coatings) as undesired materials possibly present on the surface of altered indoor metal artworks. Poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB), ethyl lactate (EL), and deferoxamine B (DFO) were employed in the formulation as thickening agent, organic solvent, and complexing agent, respectively, aiming to propose a sustainable and less harmful chemical cleaning method for metal care. The components were selected because they are bio-sourced, renewable, biodegradable, and non- or low-toxic materials. A multi-modal protocol of analysis was carried out to characterise the newly designed PHB-EL-DFO organogel. The cleaning performance of the novel formulation was assessed on mild steel mock-ups presenting both corrosion and organic coating to be removed. The conducted multi-analytical approach verified that the PHB-EL-DFO gel was able to tackle the two undesired materials simultaneously in an adjustable and easy-to-use way thanks to a modular application.