A multidisciplinary approach for the archaeometric study of pozzolanic materials as aggregate in Roman mortars: the case of Villa dei Quintili (Rome, Italy)

This contribution focuses on the study of historical mortars from a Roman archaeological siteknown as Villa dei Quintili, a monumental villa located in the south-eastern part of Rome(Italy). The study was carried out on 38 mortar samples, collected from several edifices withinthe complex. A multi-analytical approach, including polarized optical microscopy, scanningelectron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive system and laser ablation inductivelycoupled plasma mass spectrometry, was used to analyse the pozzolanic material used for thepreparation of mortars. Data obtained on both major and trace elements were compared withthe compositions of Pozzolana Rossa, Pozzolana Nera and Pozzolanella samples from theAlban Hills volcanic district, collected from a historic quarry nearby, as well as with literaturedata. The results of such a multidisciplinary approach allowed us to recognize the use ofall three pozzolan types for the aggregate fraction of examined mortars from the Villa deiQuintili.