Objects of this study are the wooden artifacts discovered in the archaeological excavation of Mephitis goddess sanctuary in the Ansanto Valley (Rocca San Felice – AV, Southern Italy). At the moment of discovery, in the mid of last... more
Objects of this study are the wooden artifacts discovered in the archaeological excavation of Mephitis goddess sanctuary in the Ansanto Valley (Rocca San Felice – AV, Southern Italy). At the moment of discovery, in the mid of last century, woods were waterlogged and mineralized, and they were restored to allow their preservation. Purpose of this work was the wood identification, in order to gain information on some technological aspects, and the analysis of wood preservation state.
Research Interests:
Centre for Isotopic Research on Cultural and Environmental heritage (CIRCE) has, recently, obtained some promising results in testing the feasibility of mortar radiocarbon dating by means of an ad hoc developed purification procedure... more
Centre for Isotopic Research on Cultural and Environmental heritage (CIRCE) has, recently, obtained some
promising results in testing the feasibility of mortar radiocarbon dating by means of an ad hoc developed
purification procedure (CryoSoniC: Cryobraking, Sonication, Centrifugation) applied to a series of laboratory
mortars. Observed results encouraged CryoSoniC accuracy evaluation on genuine mortars sampled
from archeological sites of known or independently constrained age (i.e., other 14C dates on different
materials).
In this study, some 14C measurements performed on genuine mortars will be discussed and compared
with independently estimated (i.e., radiocarbon/archaeometrical dating) absolute chronologies of
two Spanish sites. Observed results confirm the agreement of the CryoSoniC mortar dates with the
archaeological expectations for both examined cases.
Several authors reported the possibility of obtaining accurate radiocarbon dates of mortar matrices by
analyzing lime lumps: binder-related particles of different sizes exclusively composed of calcium carbonate.
In this paper, preliminary data for the absolute chronology reconstruction of the Basilica of the cemetery
complex of Ponte della Lama (Canosa di Puglia, Italy) based on lime lumps will also be discussed.
Dating accuracy will be quantified by comparing 14C data on mortar lime lumps from a funerary inscription
of known age found near the Basilica, in the same study site. For this site, a comparison between
absolute chronologies performed by bulk and CryoSoniC purified lime lumps, and charcoal incased in
mortars (when found) will also be discussed.
Observed results for this site provide evidence of how bulk lime lump dating may introduce systematic
overestimations of the analyzed sample while CryoSoniC purification allows accurate dating.
promising results in testing the feasibility of mortar radiocarbon dating by means of an ad hoc developed
purification procedure (CryoSoniC: Cryobraking, Sonication, Centrifugation) applied to a series of laboratory
mortars. Observed results encouraged CryoSoniC accuracy evaluation on genuine mortars sampled
from archeological sites of known or independently constrained age (i.e., other 14C dates on different
materials).
In this study, some 14C measurements performed on genuine mortars will be discussed and compared
with independently estimated (i.e., radiocarbon/archaeometrical dating) absolute chronologies of
two Spanish sites. Observed results confirm the agreement of the CryoSoniC mortar dates with the
archaeological expectations for both examined cases.
Several authors reported the possibility of obtaining accurate radiocarbon dates of mortar matrices by
analyzing lime lumps: binder-related particles of different sizes exclusively composed of calcium carbonate.
In this paper, preliminary data for the absolute chronology reconstruction of the Basilica of the cemetery
complex of Ponte della Lama (Canosa di Puglia, Italy) based on lime lumps will also be discussed.
Dating accuracy will be quantified by comparing 14C data on mortar lime lumps from a funerary inscription
of known age found near the Basilica, in the same study site. For this site, a comparison between
absolute chronologies performed by bulk and CryoSoniC purified lime lumps, and charcoal incased in
mortars (when found) will also be discussed.
Observed results for this site provide evidence of how bulk lime lump dating may introduce systematic
overestimations of the analyzed sample while CryoSoniC purification allows accurate dating.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Tree rings represent an important tool to monitor, over time, environmental information and anthropogenic emission related to the region where trees grow. Isotopic and dendroecological analyses on wood can detect the physiological... more
Tree rings represent an important tool to monitor, over time, environmental information and anthropogenic emission related to the region where trees grow. Isotopic and dendroecological analyses on wood can detect the physiological responses of trees to environmental changes and are a powerful resource for the quantitative assessment of pollution trends. In the natural reserve of'Bosco Fontana'(Mantova, North Italy), eight specimen of Quercus robur were sampled at increasing distance from the heavily ...