This study deals with the macroscopic and microfacies characterisation of Roman stone artefacts excavated in 2006 from a Roman villa rustica near Mošnje (NW Slovenia) with the aim of defining their provenance. A total of 28 representative finds (querns, mortars, whetstones, tooled and rounded stones, a fragment of stone slab, mosaic tesserae and two architectural elements -one with a relief) made of clastic and carbonate sedimentary rocks were examined. Comparison was made with rock samples taken from quarries and gravel bars close to the archaeological site, as well as from larger distance to the site. The majority of artefact sampled is composed of Upper Palaeozoic quartz sandstones, which are found as pebbles in gravel bars close to the archaeological site; while 2 samples were from Quaternary coarse grained clastic rocks which can be found in local glacio-fluvial sediments. Other finds were made of four different Mesozoic shallow-water limestones which outcrop in different areas of Central and SW Slovenia. The nearest Lower Jurassic biopelmicritic limestones are found at the western periphery of Ljubljana in Podutik. Cretaceous miliolid limestones and biocalcarenitic limestones with rudists are common in the successions of the Dinaric Carbonate Platform in SW Slovenia (for example, on the Trieste-Komen Plateau), NE Italy and SW Croatia. This indicates that the limestones for architectural elements, stone mortars and tesserae were brought to Mošnje from distant locations. Smaller stone tools are likely to have been made at the location of the archaeological site from material gathered locally, mostly pebbles from clastic rocks, which were accessible and suitable for tooling. Izvle~ekRaziskava obravnava makroskopsko in mikrofaciesno karakterizacijo kamnitih rimskih artefaktov, izkopanih leta 2006 v rimski podeželski vili pri Mošnjah (SZ Slovenija), z namenom določitve njihovega izvora. Pregledali smo 28 reprezentativnih najdb (žrmlje, možnarji, brusi, obdelani in okrogli kamni, odlomek kamnite plošče, mozaične kocke in dva arhitekturna elementa -eden z reliefom) iz klastičnih in karbonatnih sedimentnih kamnin. Kamnite najdbe smo primerjali z vzorci kamnin iz kamnolomov in prodišč v ožji in širši okolici arheološkega najdišča. Večina vzorcev artefaktov je iz zgornjepaleozojskih kremenovih peščenjakov, ki smo jih našli tudi v prodnikih na prodiščih v okolici Mošenj, medtem ko sta dva vzorca iz kvartarnh debelozrnatih klastičnih kamnin, ki se nahajajo v lokalnih ledeniško-rečnih nanosih. Ostale najdbe so izdelane iz štirih različnih mezozojskih plitvovodnih apnencev, ki se pojavljajo na različnih območjih v osrednji in jugozahodni Sloveniji. Spodnjejurske biopelmikritne apnence najdemo najbližje na zahodnem obrobju Ljubljane v Podutiku. Kredni miliolidi apnenci in biokalkarenitni apnenci z rudisti so pogosti v horizontih Dinarske karbonatne platforme na JZ Slovenije (npr. na Tržaško-Komenski planoti), SV Italije in JZ Hrvaške. Domnevamo, da so apnence za izdelavo arhitekturnih elementov, možnarjev ter moz...

No abstract

This study examined the provenance of stone tesserae from three Roman mosaics from Celje, Slovenia, using optical microscopy, X‐ray fluorescence spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and X‐ray diffraction. Nine microfacies were distinguished. Miliolid limestones identified in the white tesserae, and mudstones/laminated wackestones in the black tesserae, suggest they originated from the Karst region. The sparry limestone in the yellow tesserae probably originates from the Mediterranean. The mudstone/wackestone with planktonic foraminifera in the red tesserae originates from an outcrop in southwestern Slovenia. Green tesserae tuffs are of local origin, whereas the white tuffs could originate from Italian Oligo‐Miocene volcanism rhyolites.

Rational and long-term planning and sustainable mineral resources management is of strategic importance in Europe’s efforts to secure the self-supply of mineral raw materials. European mineral data is organized and accessible within the pan-European Minerals Intelligence Network. Most EU countries are part of this network, while the West Balkan region presents a gap in this regard. A common West Balkan mineral register needs to be established in order to close the gap and bring the area closer to the EU market. Including the region into the network would provide new opportunities to local industry and improve mineral management at the national and regional level. In this context, the Geological Survey of Slovenia is working in cooperation with numerous partners and stakeholders in different projects within the framework of European initiatives and programs. We collected and properly organized relevant data on minerals in the region according to the INSPIRE Directive. This paper describes the creation of the West Balkan Mineral Register of primary raw materials, and its content.