A journey into the microstructure: Using a multifocal 3D digital light microscope to study archaeological artefacts retrieved from shipwrecks

The multifocal 3D digital light microscope (LM) is an advanced tool which allows the high resolution tracking of surface topographies, morphologies and colours, and offers real-time measurements of parameters such as length and roughness, as well as in-situ field microscopic scale documentation. The use of a multifocal digital LM, equipped with powerful software, is examined in the present work as a justified tool for the study of ancient objects retrieved from shipwrecks. For that purpose, various archaeological objects were studied with an advanced multifocal LM system, which included an improved light sensitivity sensor. The results were compared to other methods, such as XRF, SEM-EDS, Raman spectroscopy and XRD. The use of a multifocal digital LM offers a unique opportunity to relate between the macroscopic and microscopic levels of the surface with colours as they appear in daylight, and correspondingly, in many cases, to expose the manufacturing process of the object.