Within the framework of an archaeological and historical survey of some Medieval and a few Roman buildings of the Medio Volturno River area (in the Italian regions of Molise and Campania) conducted by the Laboratorio di Archeologia Tardoantica e Medievale (LATEM) of the University Suor Orsola Benincasa of Naples, we analyzed and characterized the samples of ancient mortars of about 25 historical sites of the area, dating from the 1 st century B.C. to the the 14th century A.D., taken from several different kinds of buildings, with civil, religious, and military uses. The physico-chemical characterization of the mortars was carried out by XRPD with Rietveld refinement, for the quantitative determination of their mineralogical compositions, with subsequent validation by SEM/EDS. Moreover, TGA were performed to determine the water content of the mortars, and microscopic thin sections analyses were made to obtain information about their morphological and basic physical properties. The results of the analyses were mapped by our GIS system, and compared with geological data of the area of interest to find the relation between the composition of the mortars and the typical minerals present in each area.

This research is based on the characterization of ancient mortars from the Anfiteatro Flavio (Pozzuoli) dating back to the 1st and 2nd century CE through a multi-analytical approach involving macroscopic, mineralogical, petrographic, and chemical investigations. The goal that has been set is to deepen knowledge about mortar mix design, the provenance of used raw materials, and secondary minerogenetic processes that have occurred within ancient Roman mortars. Results show that: (i) raw materials for mortar preparation have a local provenance, i.e., Phlegraean Fields area; (ii) mortars can be considered as hydraulic; (iii) calcite presence could be due to a non-complete calcination process, an improper slaking or to exposition of materials to the subaerial environment; (iv) gypsum is due to calcite sulfation process; (v) halite presence is due to marine aerosol exposition. The achieved information testifies that, for at least two centuries, Roman builders considered the identified mor...

In the present paper we report the preliminary results of an ongoing research focused on the investigation of Roman mortars and concretes employed in Aquileia from Roman to Early Medieval Age (II century BC – VI century AD). More than 250 samples have been collected from buildings spread all over of the town, with different chronologies of construction and different functions. Material characterization was achieved throughout a multi-analytical approach comprising optical microscopy (OM), X-Ray powder diffraction (XRPD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy-Energy Dispersive microanalysis (SEM-EDS). Analytical data have been strictly crosschecked in relation with the chronology and purpose of the structure from which mortars have been collected from. The preliminary results we obtained are providing intriguing outcomes: we observed a high specialization on “recipes” in relation to the function of mortars and concretes, but also chronology of production appears to have an important role in the composition of mortar-based compounds. Such an extensive sampling is giving valuable insights to decipher the relations among crafts and artisans in ancient construction and decorative activities.

During restoring operations of ancient buildings, datable between 1 th and 16 th century, in the city of Ravenna samples of mortars from different archaeological sites has been collected by the Superintendence for Archaeological Heritage of Emilia Romagna. Mineralogical and chemical analyses of these samples allowed to characterize mortars composition, comparing their features in order to highlight changes in construction technologies and chronological discrimination, by defining raw materials used and establishing their places of origin. In particular, mortars from: the Roman age San Zaccaria (Early Imperial period), the Cloisters of San Francesco (14 th-17 th century and modern age) and Corte delle Antiche Carceri (dating back to Middle ages and modern age) were analyzed.

The Roman city of Italica (Santiponce, Seville, Spain) is characterised by the use of opus caementicium, especially in major public works. Many of these works appear to be connected with the expansion carried out in the early 2nd century CE, a period in which this technique attained high levels of technical achievement. Traditionally, this expansion has been regarded as the personal initiative of the Emperor Hadrian, whose family roots were in the city. The structure chosen for our case study is unique. It is located on the eastern slope of the so-called ‘Hill of San Antonio’ and has been interpreted as a substructure, or platform, for a public area above. However, the archaeological characterisation of this structure is still limited. The mortars used in this construction have been characterised through petrographic, mineralogical, geochemical and physical analysis. Their mineralogical composition has been analysed using thin sections, XRD and SEM. Chemical composition has been analysed by XRF. Physical properties analysed include granulometry, density, porosity, porosimetry, mechanical and hydraulic properties. Following the analyses, four types of mortar were distinguished. In all cases, their composition is lime-based and includes different proportions of other materials, such as metamorphic, igneous and sedimentary rock. In general, a planned and consistent production technology can be inferred, as shown by the careful selection of raw materials, the proportion of caementa and the homogeneity of the resulting mortar. The analyses have provided us with important information on the way the material was prepared and used depending on the structural needs of the construction. In addition, ancient mortar is in itself a valuable historical document concerning technological capabilities and choices and their degree of development at any given time, in this case, the Early Roman Empire.

This paper shows the results of a multidisciplinary study carried out on the mortars from the Late Roman Villa dell'Oratorio (fourth-sixth AD), an aristocratic mansion built in the lower Valdarno (Florence, Italy). Thirty-one bedding mortar and plaster samples were analysed through optical mi-croscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray powder diffrac-tion and scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy for determining the chemical, mineralog-ical and petrographic characteristics, while their main physical properties were measured by geotechnical procedures. The collected data indicates that the analysed mortars are made up of very fine to coarse river sand aggregate mixed with white to yellowish-white natural hydraulic lime binder mainly consisting of mixtures of prevailing calcite and hydraulic compounds. With regard to the origin of the raw materials, the aggregates were recognized to be selected Arno river sands, and the binders are the burning product of a local marly limestone (ex Alberese). Therefore, the mortars of the Late Roman Villa dell'Oratorio are one of the first uses of natural hydraulic lime in the lower Valdarno.

This paper presents new petro-chemical data on some typical mortars found in many buildings in the historic city centre of Catania (Eastern Sicily). Extensively used in the architecture of the city from the second half of the nineteenth century until the mid-twentieth century, these mortars are characterised by a particular aggregate locally known as “agghiara” or “ghiara”. This is the product of thermal transformation induced by the heating undergone by palaeo-soils, originally rich in organic matter, covered by lava flows, which change their colour to reddish nuances. The volcanic origin of ghiara is a peculiar feature of the Etnean area. Mixed with lime, it gives to mortars an intense reddish colour, as well as hydraulic properties, which are comparable with those of the historically used pozzolana. This work aimed at complete characterisation of these ghiara mortars, for providing information on several important technological aspects. In order to get information on used raw materials, sampling of some ancient underground quarries, located both in the historic city centre and at the periphery, was also performed. Results led to the complete characterisation of the selected ghiara mortars and yielded information on some technological features and the composition of both newly formed and secondary phases, these latter due to alteration processes. The hydraulic properties of mortars have been related to the occurrence of amorphous phases within the ghiara aggregate, which were identified by means of SEM morphological observations. These phases, formed during the “firing” process of palaeo-soils, react with lime producing hydraulic compounds (C–S–H and C–A–H), which are responsible for the mortars durability.