Mortars and plasters—how to manage mortars and plasters conservation

This paper examines the role of mortars and plasters in the construction process during the Roman period and seeks to elucidate the chaîne opératoire from the production of the main ingredients — lime and aggregate — to their application in structures, based on archaeological, visual and archaeometric data. As well as looking at the actual processes involved, it also considers the functional requirements of the mortars and plasters and the economic implications of their use, especially the nature and cost of transport, which may have led to particular choices being made by Roman builders; it also considers the supply of materials in terms of the logistics of construction. The emphasis is on mortared rubble construction, which was a particular development of the Roman period from the second century BCE and required much larger quantities of lime than previous building techniques. Attention is also paid to the human actions involved and the tools employed.

Section: Premisementioning

confidence: 99%

Production, transport and on-site organisation of Roman mortars and plasters

DeLaine

2021

“…An insight into their production, transport and on-site organisation is further provided by DeLaine (2021). Furthermore, several issues concerning the degradation and conservation of mortars and plasters are addressed from practical and technical standpoints (La Ruffolo 2021, Caroselli et al 2021).…”

Section: Premisementioning

confidence: 99%

The ecology and bioactivity of some Greco-Roman medicinal minerals: the case of Melos earth pigments

Knapp

Christidis

Venieri

et al. 2021

Mineral compounds, as pigments and therapeutics, appeared regularly in the technical and medical texts of the Greco-Roman (G-R) world. We have referred to them as ‘G-R medicinal minerals’ and we suggest that despite their seeming familiarity, there are actually many unknowns regarding their precise nature and/or purported pharmacological attributes. Earth pigments are part of that group. This paper presents a brief overview of our work over the past twenty years relating to: a. the attempt to locate a select number of them in the places of their origin; b. their chemical/mineralogical characterization; c. the study of their ecology via the identification of the microorganisms surrounding them; d. their testing as antibacterials against known pathogens. In the process, and to fulfil the above, we have developed a novel methodological approach which includes a range of analytical techniques used across many disciplines (mineralogy, geochemistry, DNA extraction and microbiology). This paper focuses on a select number of earth pigments deriving from the island of Melos in the SW Aegean, celebrated in antiquity for its Melian Earth, a white pigment, and asks whether they might display antibacterial activity. We demonstrate that some (but not all) yellow, green and black earth pigments do. We also show that the manner in which they were dispensed (as powders or leachates) was equally important. The results, although preliminary, are informative. Given their use since deep time, earth pigments have never lost their relevance. We suggest that the study of their ecology/mineralogy and potential bioactivity allows for a better understanding of how our perception of them, as both pigments and therapeutics, may have evolved.

Section: Premisementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The characterisation of the alteration and degradation forms, both on a macroscopic and microscopic level, requires a multidisciplinary approach since chemical, mineralogical, and biological skills are needed (La Russa and Ruffolo 2021). The interventions are planned based on the materials' conservation state (Caroselli et al 2021). That is why alteration/degradation analyses should be carried out before restoration.…”

Section: Mortars and Plasters Alteration And Degradationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mortars, plasters and pigments—research questions and sampling criteria

Gliozzo

Pizzo

Russa

2021

Within the Topical Collection, this paper represents an introductory contribution aimed at describing and discussing the research questions and the sampling criteria in the field of mortars, plasters and pigments studies. The paper is divided into three parts. In the first part, some terminological issues are clarified and the building archaeology is introduced as an indispensable method for sampling and interpreting archaeometric results. In the second part, the most common research questions are presented and discussed. Some case studies are also reported to clarify what the expected results may be. The sampling problem is faced in the third part, where the criteria for a representative, functional and suitable selection are provided.