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Archaeological Museum of Messina, Messina, Italy.
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- PublicationRestrictedArchaeometric constraints by multidisciplinary study of Richborough 527 amphorae and yellow clays from the C.da Portinenti pottery workshop (Lipari Island, Italy)(2019)
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;; ;; ;During the archeological excavations carried out from 1993 to 1995 at C.da Portinenti, at Lipari Island, a pottery workshop dated to Roman age—including a kiln dump containing both Richborough 527 type amphora wastes and ceramic shreds—was discovered. The Richborough 527 amphorae had been used to transport local volcanic and hydrothermal products throughout the Roman Empire. Here, we present the results of a multidisciplinary archaeometric study carried out with the aim to shed light on the provenance of the raw materials used in the production of the Richborough 527 amphorae. To achieve this goal, amphora wastes and a sample of yellow clays stored in the archeological excavation area have been analyzed, and the data were compared to those available for clays coming from Lipari and from the Messina Province. The overall results indicate that (i) a volcanic sand from Portinenti Valley was used as temper in the ceramic mixture; (ii) the geochemical features and the fossils present in the ceramic paste are compatible with marine Pleistocene clayey deposits of the Messina Province and incompatible with the clays of Lipari island; (iii) the yellow clays found in the excavation area were not used to produce the Richborough 527; and (iv) the analyzed wastes are the results of a poorly controlled firing temperature during the ceramic artifact production.79 8 - PublicationOpen AccessArchaeometric constraints on the architectural elements from the submerged installation discovered at the harbor of Lipari (Aeolian Archipelago, Italy)(2020)
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; Submarine surveys, started in 2008 during the preliminary excavations preceding the construction of a new pier in the port of Lipari Island (Italy), brought to light the presence of large submerged remains, dated to the Roman age, in the base of typological features of the related pottery fragment styles. The archaeological discoveries included the find of structural elements - interpreted in the literature as part of a monumental building - located at the wharf terminal. Four of these structural elements, made up of volcanic rocks, which are now stored at the Lipari Museum, have been examined both from analytical and architectural points of view. To define the provenance of the rocks, petrographic and mineralogical investigations have been performed on the collected samples. The results obtained indicate that the rocks could be traced to the cordierite lava rocks outcropping at Fuardo Valley, in the SW area of the Lipari Island. The use of these rocks as building material was already attested for other artefacts found at Lipari and Messina (Sicily) and at Lamezia (Calabria), but no historical sources refer to any mining activities. However, the presence of working traces observable at Fuardo Valley and Pulera districts and the overall collected information suggest that the cordierite-lava flow was extensively used as stone quarry during historical times. From the stylistic point of view, the studied structural elements made with the Fuardo stone show architectural features that allowed defining them as column bases dating to the Roman Imperial age.121 69 - PublicationRestrictedInvestigation of Archaeological Evidence for a Possible 6th-7th Century AD Earthquake in Capo d'Orlando (NE Sicily)(2008-03)
; ; ; ; ; ; ;Bottari, C.; Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione Roma2, Roma, Italia ;Bottari, A.; Osservatorio Sismologico, University of Messina, Messina, Italy. ;Carveni, P.; Dipartimento di Scienze Geologiche, University of Catania, Catania, Italy. ;Mastelloni, M.; Archaeological Museum of Messina, Messina, Italy. ;Ollà, M.; Archaeological Superintendence of Messina,Messina, Italy. ;Spigo, U.; Archaeological Superintendence of Catania,Catania, Italy; ; ; ; ; The archaeological site of Capo d’Orlando, located in NE Sicily was intensively inhabited during the Roman and Byzantine periods (3rd to the 7th century AD) during which a bath complex probably associated to a large villa extending seawards was built. Archaeoseismological research shows that during the Byzantine period (6th -7th century AD) this complex suffered damage: (1) collapse of the bath, (2) tilting of parallel dry masonry walls in the same direction, and (3) cracking of the floor in the bath. This damage might have been produced by a seismic event, where the level of destruction indicates a strong shaking. The historic record of earthquakes prior to the year 1000 AD is probably not complete. Actually, only four earthquakes are vaguely reported in the seismic literature for this time span. This lack of historical reports on seismic events does not necessarily mean that any earthquakes happened. Archaeoseismic data show that the island was not quiescent but on the contrary suffered several earthquakes. The analysis presented here, based on detailed site surveys, deals principally with seismic causes but it also takes into account other possible causes with regard to the observed damage.293 37 - PublicationOpen AccessLEAD STANNATE AS COMPONENT OF ANTIQUE YELLOW GLASSY TESSERAE FROM SICILIAN MOSAICS(2022-09-15)
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; New investigations carried out on lead stannate (Pb2SnO4) and lead antimonate (Pb2Sb2O7) in yellow mosaic glassy tesserae from archaeological sites of Sicily (Taormina; Lipari, Tusa and Piazza Armerina), dated early than the 4th century AD, allow to confirm the presence of lead stannate in ancient glass dated before the 4th century. The two compounds have been used either as glass opacifiers and colorants. The different refractive index between fine crystals of these compounds and the amorphous glassy matrix, in which they are immerged, prevent the complete light transmittance, giving the typical opaque appearance to the glass. While lead antimonate was used to produce opaque yellow glass from the beginning of glass production up to the Roman period, it was replaced by lead stannate from about the 4th century AD up to the end of the Roman period. Although until today only Lahil et al. (2011) reported the presence of lead stannate in the glass tesserae dated before the 4th century AD, our new results confirm its presence in the investigated yellow tesserae from several mosaics of Sicily dated early than the 4th century AD51 37