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The paper reports the results of a research project aimed at the characterization of the floor bedding mortars of two Roman houses in Aquileia (north-eastern Italy), the Domus delle Bestie Ferite and the Domus di Tito Macro. Seventy floor bedding mortars of the two domus were selected and almost half were fully minero-petrographically characterized by means of optical microscopy operated in transmitted light (OM-TL), X-ray powder diffraction analyses coupled with quantitative phase analysis by means of the Rietveld method (XRPD-QPA) and scanning electron microscopy with EDS microanalysis (SEM-EDS). The results indicate an evolution of the mortar preparation techniques over time in the mosaic of both houses. The materials are compared to the traditional Roman recipes for specific construction techniques.

This work presents a methodology for obtaining a quantitative expression of the superficial deterioration of bricks affected by climatic conditions. The method combines in situ measurements with laboratory data. Input data on material recession were obtained from photogrammetric observations, the material properties were derived from laboratory tests or the relevant literature, and climate data were provided from regional environmental monitoring service. The climatic parameters considered in this study are: relative humidity, number of freeze-thaw cycles (i.e., mean number of days per year with temperatures below zero), and peak sun hours per day. The methodology proposed estimates the deterioration rate of brick façades under variable climate conditions over time. As a conclusion of this research, a new tool for the structural evaluation of brick walls is presented.

In this paper, we take into exam six different contexts in Roman Aquileia in which considerable amounts of shells, originally collected for different purposes (dietary consumption or purple dye production), were re-used as raw material in building activities, either inserted in mortars or used as floor foundation. Shells as building material have useful properties, which are here analyzed. Themes such as technological transmission among cultures are discussed through the examination of other attestations of these practices in the ancient Mediterranean. IntroduzioneIl rinvenimento di malacofauna negli scavi archeologici non rappresenta, di per sé, un fenomeno raro. Conchiglie sono di frequente ritrovate in concentrazioni di pochi esemplari sporadici o, più raramente, possono presentarsi in accumuli considerevoli, il cui processo formativo può essere naturale o antropico 1 . Diversi sono i motivi per cui l'uomo si procacciava e impiegava le conchiglie in antico: primo tra tutti è sicuramente l'alimentazione 2 . Secondariamente, conchiglie potevano essere impiegate per scopi rituali, decorativi (sotto forma di monili e pendenti in collane e ceramiche), o per altri fini che spaziano dall'impiego come pesi in reti da pesca, all'uso come lucerne 3 . Infine, il rinvenimento di conchiglie di alcune specie di murice (Hexaplex Trunculus, Bolinus Brandaris o Thais Haemastoma), in stato frammentario o con incisioni nella parte centrale del guscio, rivela una particolare lavorazione, ricordata da Plinio il Vecchio (Nat. Hist. IX, 124-137), atta al prelievo di una ghiandola dall'animale dalla quale si ricava, fin dall'antichità, la porpora 4 . Si possono quindi distinguere due forme di uso di malacofaune: primario nel caso in cui vengono raccolte intenzionalmente le conchi-1