Provenancing of Lightweight Volcanic Stones Used in Ancient Roman Concrete Vaulting: Evidence From Rome

Abstract

This paper presents the geochemical analysis of lightweight scoria and pumice used in concrete vaults from ancient Rome. The geochemical signatures of dark scoria indicates a provenance of the 36-18 ka lavas of Vesuvius, as opposed to the more recent events on which Pompeii was built, as previously thought. The light-coloured pumices analysed, which were originally thought to belong to the Sabatini volcanic system (north of Rome), corresponded instead to products from Campi Flegrei. These results provoke re-evaluation of the trade and acquisition of these specialized materials destined for imperial projects in the capital city.

Provenance materials for Vitruvius' harenae fossiciae and pulvis puteolanis : Geochemical signature and historical–archaeological implications

“…A second relevant finding is the fact that the aggregate for the concrete of the vaults of the tabernae associated with the IInd c BC House of Ninfeo is entirely realized with pumice, a technique to produce lightweight concrete that in Rome has been observed at the Forum of Caesar (46-44 BC) in conjunction with the introduction of a particular vesicular lava imported from Pompei (Lancaster et al, 2010;. The use of pumice at Volsinii pre-dates that in Rome and cast light on the high specialized masonry technique achieved by Roman constructors since the IInd c. BC.…”

Trace Element Classification Diagrams of Pyroclastic Rocks from the Volcanic Districts of Central Italy: the Case Study of the Ancient Roman Ships of Pisa

“…On the basis of this notion, and using selected ‘immobile’ elements, which are considered to be substantially unaffected by alteration processes (e.g., Floyd and Winchester ), recent works have applied trace element analysis to the study of volcanic materials used in ancient Roman masonry (Lancaster et al . ). Following this approach, in the present work we have re‐evaluated trace element data measured by Pecchioni et al .…”

“…For these reasons, this method may turn out to be extremely useful in the classification of archaeological material such as the volcanic fine aggregate of ancient Roman mortars and concretes (Lancaster et al . ).…”

Geochemical Methods for Sourcing Lava Paving Stones from the Roman Roads of Central Italy

“…Thus Laurence (), Black et al () and Laurence () all suggest that choices were being made in the selection of lava sources. These observations should be seen within the context of the provenancing of other volcanic materials for construction, notably the work of Lancaster et al (, ) on the use of lightweight materials (e.g., scoria and pumice) in concrete vaults, who suggested that there was a complex supply pattern to Rome that included volcanic deposits associated with Vesuvius (Lancaster et al ; Marra et al ). The aims of this paper are to provide a reliable sourcing method for the lava paving stones (i.e., heavyweight/high‐density building materials) based on geochemical analysis, and to clarify the exploitation, transportation and trade in this natural resource that was widely utilized in both ancient Rome and its environs.…”