Case Study: Theban Desert Road Survey

IX Soter II. The work of the Theban Desert Road Survey
(by Yale Egyptological Institute in Egypt [4]) at el-Ghueita temple has revealed that the central rear chamber of the temple, decorated in both painted plaster and raised relief carving under Darius I, incorporates within it a small, formerly freestanding sandstone shrine of some date prior to the Twenty-Seventh Dynasty. In general, the temple comprises four sections: a forecourt, a hypostyle hall with four columns, a vestibule, and three inner chambers, of which only the centre room bears decoration. On the façade and jambs of the entrance portal to this central sanctuary are scenes and inscriptions of Ptolemy III
Euergetes I in a sunken relief [5]. Inscriptions on the door jambs of the sanctuary and forecourt, state that
Ptolemy III

This technique is nondestructive because little sample preparation is required or no sampling in case of micro-Raman [13]. Raman analysis is particularly suitable for the identification of pigments in complex matrixes and inorganic pigments in artworks [14-17]. The objectives in Raman microscopy allow the laser radiation to be focused on a 1–3 μm spot typically in the visible region (in the infrared, the spot size is 10 μm and over), which is particularly useful for the identification of specific components in heterogeneous mixtures. In Fourier transform infrared–attenuated total reflectance spectroscopy (FTIR–ATR), the sample is in direct contact with the crystal that allows the infrared radiation to penetrate through the sample many times. This is due to the crystal having a high Refractive Index causing
Figure 1 General view of the temple, some wall decorations and detailed plan of the temple. (1). Entrance of the temple; (2). Facade and entrance to the pillared hall; (3). Inscriptions of Ptolemy III, Amun Re, Khonsu, and Mut; (4). On the south wall, scenes of Ptolemy III, Montu,