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Publication Date
10-26-2018
Publication Title
Scientific Reports
Volume Number
8
Issue Number
1
Abstract
A white deposit covering the walls in the Stanza degli Scudi of the Tomba degli Scudi , Tarquinia, Italy, has been investigated. In this chamber, which is still preserved from any kind of intervention such as cleaning and sanitization, ancient Etruscans painted shields to celebrate the military power of the Velcha family. Scanning electron microscopy analysis has revealed the presence of characteristic nanostructures corresponding to a calcite secondary mineral deposit called moonmilk. Analysis of the microbial community identified Proteobacteria , Acidobacteria and Actinobacteria as the most common phyla in strong association with the moonmilk needle fibre calcite and nanofibers of calcium carbonate. Employing classical microbiological analysis, we isolated from moonmilk a Streptomyces strain able to deposit gypsum and calcium carbonate on plates, supporting the hypothesis of an essential contribution of microorganisms to the formation of moonmilk.
Document Type
Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-34134-y
Language
English
Recommended Citation
Cirigliano, Angela; Tomassetti, Maria Cristina; Di Pietro, Marta; Mura, Francesco; Maneschi, Maria Lorella; Gentili, Maria Donatella; Cardazzo, Barbara; Arrighi, Chiara; Mazzoni, Cristina; Negri, Rodolfo; and Rinaldi, Teresa, "Calcite moonmilk of microbial origin in the Etruscan Tomba degli Scudi in Tarquinia, Italy" (2018). KIP Articles. 9863.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/kip_articles/9863
