The colors of the circus mosaic from barcino (Roman barcelona) : characterization, provenance and technology issues
Casas Duocastella, Lluís (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Geologia)
Di Febo, Roberta (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Ciències de l'Antiguitat i de l'Edat Mitjana)
Boix Martinez, Carme (Universidad de Alcalá. Departamento de Geología, Geografía y Medio Ambiente)
Egea, Albert (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Geologia)
Vallcorba Valls, Oriol (ALBA Laboratori de Llum de Sincrotró)
Queralt, Ignasi (Institut de Diagnosi Ambiental i Estudis de l'Aigua)
Anglisano, Anna (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Geologia)
Moreno, Isabel (Museu d'Arqueologia de Catalunya)
Andino, Lorene (Freelance Conservator-Restorer)

Date:	2021
Abstract:	Archaeometric studies on mosaics often concentrate only on glass tesserae, while comprehensive studies including both stone and glass tesserae are scarce; however, both types of tesserae can sometimes bring relevant data to elaborate archaeological knowledge on a studied mosaic. In this paper, a representative set of tesserae from a large polychrome Roman mosaic retrieved in Barcelona (NE Spain) is investigated using various methods. Most of the techniques were directly applied on samples prepared as petrographic thin sections (including polarized-light, cathodoluminescence and electron microscopies, and synchrotron through-the-substrate µX-ray diffraction). The results indicate that, from the ten sampled stone tesserae, there are (i) seven limestones, one of them identified as Alveolina limestone (early Eocene) from the southern Pyrenees (ii) two sandstones from Barcelona's Montjuïc hill (Miocene) and, (iii) a Carrara white marble from the Apuan Alps (Italy). The profuse presence of tesserae of both local and imported materials with well-known uses in architecture, epigraphy, and sculpture could imply that tesserae were a by-product of their main use. Two different production technologies were identified for the three sampled glass tesserae. The concurrent use of antimony-and tin-based opacifiers is in agreement with the accepted archaeological chronology of the mosaic (4th century AD).
Note:	Altres ajuts: Ajuntament de Barcelona (Institut de Cultura) contracte número 17001904
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Subject:	Mosaic ; Archaeometry ; Glass and stone tesserae ; Provenance ; Opacification ; Cathodoluminescence ; Roman period ; Thin section petrography ; SEM-EDS ; Tts-μXRD
Published in:	Minerals, Vol. 11, Issue 7 (July 2021) , art. 746, ISSN 2075-163X

DOI: 10.3390/min11070746

25 p, 17.1 MB

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