Limestone provenance in roman lime-volcanic ash mortars from the Villa dei Quintili Rome

Roman mortars were collected from the Villa dei Quintili in Rome, an archaeologicalsite consisting of numerous edifices from nine construction phases datingfrom the 2nd century A.D. to modern times. A multianalytical approachwas used on 34 mortar samples to infer the evolution of production techniquesover time and to identify the source area of calcareous raw materials used inthe preparation of the lime. Optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopycoupled with an energy-dispersive system, and laser ablation inductively coupledplasma mass spectrometry were used to study the samples. The major andtrace element data were compared with the compositions of two types of limestonesamples (Calcare Massiccio and Calcare Maiolica) collected from the CornicolaniMountains. The results suggest that the technological practices andthe calcareous raw materials used for lime production remained unchangedover the time period considered (2nd century A.D. to 3rd century A.D.). Thecompositions of lime-related particles in the mortars match those of CalcareMaiolica, which suggests its use as raw material for lime production. On thewhole, the results are in agreement with data from existing literature regardingboth the use by Roman builders of specific raw materials for the mortars’production and the relative supply area.