Project Details
Projekt
Technology Transfer in the Central Mediterranean: Ancient Lime Mortars and Plasters from Carthage, Pantelleria and Solunto
Subject Area
Classical, Roman, Christian and Islamic Archaeology
Term
since 2024
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 548353885
Lime mortars and plasters are omnipresent in the architecture of Classical Antiquity. Whether as an "adhesive" in masonry, as a protective layer against wind and water or as a floor covering, mortars are found in different compositions and different contexts. Therefore, they represent an important source for the development of building techniques and the transfer of related technologies. From the 5th century BC onwards, mortar-technology, which probably originated in the eastern Mediterranean, was used extensively in the central Mediterranean region. Phoenicians/Punic craftsman probably played an important role in the transfer of technology. Lime mortars and plasters are composite materials made from a binder and various types of aggregates. Due to their heterogeneous composition, archaeometric and archaeological investigation can provide clues to manufacturing and processing procedures, to the raw materials used and to the development of building techniques. Furthermore, by examining the mortars of different building structures across space and time, it is possible to investigate the transfer of technology and the actors behind it with the help of socio-cultural theory models. In order to shed light on the role of the Phoenicians/Punics in the dissemination of mortar technologies in the central Mediterranean, mortars and plasters from the three culturally interconnected sites of Carthage, Pantelleria and Solunt from the period of the 5th century BC to the 1st century AD will be examined archaeologically and archaeometrically with regard to their development and dissemination paths. By means of polarised light microscopy, µ- and powder X-ray diffraction, µ-X-ray fluorescence, scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, not only the mineralogical-chemical composition of the mortars is determined, but also potentially used raw materials are identified. The time-spanning observation of the mortar and plaster(recipes) makes it possible to determine the origin of individual types, changes in composition or further developments. In addition, the cross-regional analysis makes it possible to visualise possible dissemination paths and thus technology transfers. Thus, new insights into resource knowledge, production techniques and application contexts are generated.
DFG Programme
Research Grants
