The peperino rocks: historical and volcanological overview

Abstract

The name peperino derives from the Italian word pepe (pepper) and has been used in the common language for lithified volcanic deposits characterized by grey to dark grey color and granular texture, resembling that of ground pepper. Among these, the best-known examples are represented by some phreatomagmatic deposits of the Colli Albani Volcanic District, near Rome, and ignimbrite deposits of the Cimini Mountains near Viterbo (Northern Latium), which have been widely employed in artifacts of historical and archaeological interest. In particular, these resistant volcanic rocks have been widely employed by the Etruscans and Romans since the 7 th century BCE to produce sarcophagi and dimension stones, as well as architectural and ornamental elements in central Italy up to the present.