Roots Damages In Etruscan Tombs And Biomolecular Tools For Their Identification

Plant roots represent a treat for building structures and especially for underground historical artefacts. Etruscan tombs and their fragile painted walls are root-endangered heritages due to their proximity to the ground level. For this reason, as a preventive measure in the archaeolog- ical sites trees and bushes are generally rare and monitored, instead of spontaneous herbs are subject to periodic mowing. Nevertheless, root penetration in the burial chambers is a quite frequent phenomenon and customized measures are needed. The first step in customizing new control measures is tied to identifying the most dangerous herbaceous species through root identification. In this study, recent data and evidence are reported and discussed.