Non-Invasive Approach to Investigate the Mineralogy and Production Technology of the Mosaic <i>Tesserae</i> from the Roman <i>Domus</i> of Villa San Pancrazio (Taormina, Italy)
The archaeological excavations at Villa San Pancrazio (Taormina, Italy) are bringing to light a vast Roman-Imperial residential quarter featuring luxurious dwellings decorated with wall paintings and mosaic floors, pointing it out as one of the most significant archaeological sites of the city. The...
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MDPI AG
2021-11-01
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| author | Olivia Gomez-Laserna Anna Irto Pablo Irizar Gabriele Lando Clemente Bretti Irantzu Martinez-Arkarazo Lorenzo Campagna Paola Cardiano |
| author_facet | Olivia Gomez-Laserna Anna Irto Pablo Irizar Gabriele Lando Clemente Bretti Irantzu Martinez-Arkarazo Lorenzo Campagna Paola Cardiano |
| author_sort | Olivia Gomez-Laserna |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The archaeological excavations at Villa San Pancrazio (Taormina, Italy) are bringing to light a vast Roman-Imperial residential quarter featuring luxurious dwellings decorated with wall paintings and mosaic floors, pointing it out as one of the most significant archaeological sites of the city. The polychrome and black and white mosaics recovered date back to the middle Imperial period, during the 2nd century AD. This work deals with the first archaeometric investigations of the materials employed for the <i>tesserae</i> production with the aim of elucidating the mineralogical composition and obtaining analytical evidence that can contribute to extracting information related to their production technology. For that purpose, a non-invasive methodology, based on micro energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (μ-EDXRF) spectrometry and Raman spectroscopy, was used to characterize a wide selection of stone, ceramic and glass <i>tesserae</i>. Chemometric tools were exploited to manage the large set of elemental data collected on black and white lithic samples, providing essential clues for the subsequent investigations. The results evidenced the employment of natural lithotypes (calcareous sedimentary, dolomitic and volcanic) local and imported, and also artificial materials, such as ceramic made firing magnesium-rich clays, soda-lime-silica glasses made with different opacifying and coloring agents (such as calcium antimoniate, cobalt and copper). |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T05:34:19Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-42106276c17b4cae842b548cf63c54a6 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4352 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T05:34:19Z |
| publishDate | 2021-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Crystals |
| spelling | doaj.art-42106276c17b4cae842b548cf63c54a62023-11-22T22:59:21ZengMDPI AGCrystals2073-43522021-11-011111142310.3390/cryst11111423Non-Invasive Approach to Investigate the Mineralogy and Production Technology of the Mosaic <i>Tesserae</i> from the Roman <i>Domus</i> of Villa San Pancrazio (Taormina, Italy)Olivia Gomez-Laserna0Anna Irto1Pablo Irizar2Gabriele Lando3Clemente Bretti4Irantzu Martinez-Arkarazo5Lorenzo Campagna6Paola Cardiano7Department of Analytical Chemistry, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Barrio Sarriena s/n, Leioa, E-48080 Bilbao, SpainDepartment of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, Viale F. Stagno d’Alcontres 31, I-98166 Messina, ItalyDepartment of Analytical Chemistry, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Barrio Sarriena s/n, Leioa, E-48080 Bilbao, SpainDepartment of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, Viale F. Stagno d’Alcontres 31, I-98166 Messina, ItalyDepartment of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, Viale F. Stagno d’Alcontres 31, I-98166 Messina, ItalyDepartment of Analytical Chemistry, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Barrio Sarriena s/n, Leioa, E-48080 Bilbao, SpainDepartment of Ancient and Modern Cultures, University of Messina, Polo Universitario dell’Annunziata, I-98168 Messina, ItalyDepartment of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, Viale F. Stagno d’Alcontres 31, I-98166 Messina, ItalyThe archaeological excavations at Villa San Pancrazio (Taormina, Italy) are bringing to light a vast Roman-Imperial residential quarter featuring luxurious dwellings decorated with wall paintings and mosaic floors, pointing it out as one of the most significant archaeological sites of the city. The polychrome and black and white mosaics recovered date back to the middle Imperial period, during the 2nd century AD. This work deals with the first archaeometric investigations of the materials employed for the <i>tesserae</i> production with the aim of elucidating the mineralogical composition and obtaining analytical evidence that can contribute to extracting information related to their production technology. For that purpose, a non-invasive methodology, based on micro energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (μ-EDXRF) spectrometry and Raman spectroscopy, was used to characterize a wide selection of stone, ceramic and glass <i>tesserae</i>. Chemometric tools were exploited to manage the large set of elemental data collected on black and white lithic samples, providing essential clues for the subsequent investigations. The results evidenced the employment of natural lithotypes (calcareous sedimentary, dolomitic and volcanic) local and imported, and also artificial materials, such as ceramic made firing magnesium-rich clays, soda-lime-silica glasses made with different opacifying and coloring agents (such as calcium antimoniate, cobalt and copper).https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4352/11/11/1423Raman spectroscopyEDXRFchemometric analysisRoman TaorminaRoman mosaics |
| spellingShingle | Olivia Gomez-Laserna Anna Irto Pablo Irizar Gabriele Lando Clemente Bretti Irantzu Martinez-Arkarazo Lorenzo Campagna Paola Cardiano Non-Invasive Approach to Investigate the Mineralogy and Production Technology of the Mosaic <i>Tesserae</i> from the Roman <i>Domus</i> of Villa San Pancrazio (Taormina, Italy) Crystals Raman spectroscopy EDXRF chemometric analysis Roman Taormina Roman mosaics |
| title | Non-Invasive Approach to Investigate the Mineralogy and Production Technology of the Mosaic <i>Tesserae</i> from the Roman <i>Domus</i> of Villa San Pancrazio (Taormina, Italy) |
| title_full | Non-Invasive Approach to Investigate the Mineralogy and Production Technology of the Mosaic <i>Tesserae</i> from the Roman <i>Domus</i> of Villa San Pancrazio (Taormina, Italy) |
| title_fullStr | Non-Invasive Approach to Investigate the Mineralogy and Production Technology of the Mosaic <i>Tesserae</i> from the Roman <i>Domus</i> of Villa San Pancrazio (Taormina, Italy) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Non-Invasive Approach to Investigate the Mineralogy and Production Technology of the Mosaic <i>Tesserae</i> from the Roman <i>Domus</i> of Villa San Pancrazio (Taormina, Italy) |
| title_short | Non-Invasive Approach to Investigate the Mineralogy and Production Technology of the Mosaic <i>Tesserae</i> from the Roman <i>Domus</i> of Villa San Pancrazio (Taormina, Italy) |
| title_sort | non invasive approach to investigate the mineralogy and production technology of the mosaic i tesserae i from the roman i domus i of villa san pancrazio taormina italy |
| topic | Raman spectroscopy EDXRF chemometric analysis Roman Taormina Roman mosaics |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4352/11/11/1423 |
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