On November 27, the new MC-ICP-MS 'Neoma' mass spectrometer from Thermo Fischer Scientific was delivered to the OeAI Archaeological Labs. The laboratory premises are located on the 5th floor of the Otto Wagner Postsparkasse, the OeAI's location in Vienna's city center. The new device can carry out high-precision analyses of a wide range of isotope systems and, in particular, break down the origin of pigments, metals, glass and organic materials. For example, statements can be made about the migration of people.
As the analysis device weighs approx. 2 tons and measures approx. 2.3 x 1.6 m, the delivery was particularly complex. The existing lifts in the PSK are too small, which is why the device had to be lifted into the building through a window. This required a crane to lift the device from the corner of Wiesingerstraße and Dominikanerbastei over the roof into the first inner courtyard and then through the window of the conservation lab. The crane was delivered during the night of November 26th to 27th against the direction of travel via Ringstraße and then set up at the corner of Wiesingerstraße and Dominikanerbastei. At around 7 a.m., the new equipment was unpacked, as it would otherwise have been too big for the window, and lifted into the building. Following successful installation, method development and initial test runs for pigments will follow over the next few months.