Age of Ancient Monuments by Means of Building Stone Provenance: a Case Study of the Tullianum, Rome, Italy

Karner, Daniel B.; Lombardi, Leonardo Augusto; Marra, Fabrizio; Fortini, Patrizia; Renne, Paul R.

doi:10.1006/jasc.2000.0567

Cited by 20 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…The scoria clasts, however, are not present in the distal, reworked equivalent at the GRA/Appia Antica section, nor are they in the type-locality for the Peperino Albano (Valle delle Petrare outcrops). Here, sample AH-17C3 yielded the age of 36.1±0.3 ka, in agreement with a previous sample from a building stone of the Carcere Mamertino in Rome (sample MAM-01, 36.0±1.2 ka, Karner et al 2001a). One sample from the upper horizon (Unit GRAc) at the GRA/Appia Antica section also yielded the same age.…”

Section: Eruptive Historysupporting

confidence: 71%

“…1) hosted the most recent activity of the Alban Hills Volcanic District (Villa et al 1999;Karner et al 2001a;Marra et al 2003;Funiciello et al 2002;Funiciello et al 2003). Recent papers (Karner et al 2001b;Marra et al 2003) propose that the activity of Albano is possibly a new phase of volcanic activity from the Alban Hills Volcanic District.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 92%

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Eruptive history and petrologic evolution of the Albano multiple maar (Alban Hills, Central Italy)

et al. 2006

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A comprehensive volcanological study of the Albano multiple maar (Alban Hills, Italy) using (i) Ar-40/Ar-39 geochronology of the most complete stratigraphic section and other proximal and distal outcrops and (ii) petrographic observations, phase analyses of major and trace elements, and Sr and O isotopic analyses of the pyroclastic deposits shows that volcanic activity at Albano was strongly discontinuous, with a first eruptive cycle at 69 +/- 1 ka producing at least two eruptions, and a second cycle with two peaks at 39 +/- 1 and 36 +/- 1 ka producing at least four eruptions. Contrary to previous studies, we did not find evidence of magmatic or hydromagmatic eruptions younger than 36 +/- 1 ka. The activity of Albano was fed by a new batch of primary magma compositionally different from that of the older activity of the Alban Hills; moreover, the REE and Sr-87/Sr-86 data indicate that the Albano magma originated from an enriched metasomatized mantle. According to the modeled liquid line of descent, this magma differentiated under the influence of magma/limestone wall rock interaction. Our detailed eruptive and petrologic reconstruction of the Albano Maar evolution substantiates the dormant state of the Alban Hills Volcanic District

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Section: Eruptive Historysupporting

confidence: 71%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Eruptive history and petrologic evolution of the Albano multiple maar (Alban Hills, Central Italy)

et al. 2006

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“…The problems in identifying the different "peperini" employed as dimension stones in ancient Rome have been partially discussed in a paper by Karner et al (2001b), in which the similarity between the more lithified facies of Tufo del Palatino (e.g. Peperino della Via Flaminia) and Lapis Albanus was addressed with respect to the interpretation of the age and origin of the Tullianum, the oldest portion of the Mamertine Prison (Fortini, 1988).…”

Section: Chronological Employment and Identification Criteria Of The mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Peperino della Via Flaminia) and Lapis Albanus was addressed with respect to the interpretation of the age and origin of the Tullianum, the oldest portion of the Mamertine Prison (Fortini, 1988). However, the possibility that the rock employed to build the Tullianum was Tufo del Palatino, rather than Lapis Albanus, was ruled out by means of its 40 Ar/ 39 Ar age determination (Karner et al, 2001b). One sample collected from a block of the Tullianum wall yielded age of 36 ± 1 ka, identical to that yielded by a sample of Lapis Albanus collected in the ancient Roman quarries in Marino, ruling out the use of Tufo del Palatino, which has a radiometric age of 530 ± 2 ka (Karner et al, 2001a;Marra et al, 2009).…”

Section: Chronological Employment and Identification Criteria Of The mentioning

confidence: 99%

Geochemical identification criteria for “peperino” stones employed in ancient Roman buildings: A Lapis Gabinus case study

Farr

Marra

Terrenato

2015

Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports

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Lapis Gabinus is a durable volcanic stone originally exploited and employed in construction at the ancient Latin city of Gabii. From the second century BCE it was also exported to Rome, where it appears in a series of important monuments, including the Tabularium and the Forum of Augustus. It is a lithified hydromagmatic-surge deposit erupted about 285,000 years ago by the Castiglione Crater, 20 km east of Rome, and is similar in appearance to other local rocks that geologists and archeologists often call "peperino". In the present study we establish geochemical identification criteria to classify this rock and distinguish it from the other "peperini" employed by Roman builders. To this end, we have performed trace-element analyses on 17 samples of Lapis Gabinus collected from outcrops at Gabii, and on 11 samples representative of the other "peperino" stones occurring in the area of Rome. The resulting reference dataset has been employed to construct discrimination diagrams in which the geochemical compositional fields of the different rocks are defined. We then tested this identification method by plotting in these diagrams the trace-element compositions of 16 archeological samples of "peperino" stones collected from the buildings of ancient Gabii and Rome, spanning the sixth century BCE through the first century CE. Our results show that the three most common such stones (Lapis Gabinus, Lapis Albanus, Tufo del Palatino) have distinct trace-element compositions and can be readily distinguished using the proposed discrimination diagrams. This relatively simple and inexpensive identification method can be successfully extended to other archeological research on volcanic materials and employed for wider petrographic purposes.

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“…The 4~ ages of two ash horizons recovered from drill cores of the Albano crater lake sediments yielded ages of 45_+3 and 26_+1 ka, respectively (Villa et al 1999). Another eruption of the Albano crater was indirectly identified from the dating of an archaeologically important building stone, yielding an 4~ age of 37_+1 ka (Karner et al 2001c). Based on this age, the stone was interpreted by Karner et al to come from the quarries of Lapis Albanus in Marino.…”

Section: Stratigraphy and Geochronology Of The Alban Hillsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Post-caldera activity in the Alban Hills volcanic district (Italy): 40Ar/39Ar geochronology and insights into magma evolution

et al. 2003

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We present 24 40Ar/39Ar ages for the youngest volcanic products from the Alban Hills volcanic district (Rome). Combined with petrological data on these products, we have attempted to define the chronology of the most recent phase of activity and to investigate the magma evolution of this volcanic district. The early, mainly explosive activity of the Alban Hills spanned the interval from 561±1 to 351±3 ka. After approximately 50-kyr of dormancy, a mainly effusive phase of activity took place, accompanied by the strombolian activity of a small central edifice (Monte delle Faete). This second phase of activity spanned the interval 308±2 to 250±1 ka. After another dormancy period of approximately 50-kyr, a new, hydromagmatic phase of activity started at 200 ka at several centers located to the southwest of the Monte delle Faete edifice. After an initial recurrence period of approximately 50-kyr, which also characterized this new phase of activity, the longest dormancy period (approximately 80-kyr) in the history of the volcanic district preceded the start of the activity of the Albano and Giuturna centers at 70±1 ka. Results of our study suggest a quasi-continuous magmatic activity feeding hydromagmatic centers with a new acme of volcanism since around 70 ka. Based on data presented in this paper, we argue that the Alban Hills should not be considered an extinct volcanic district and a detailed re-assessment of the volcanic hazard for the area of Rome is in order

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Age of Ancient Monuments by Means of Building Stone Provenance: a Case Study of the Tullianum, Rome, Italy

Cited by 20 publications

References 9 publications

Eruptive history and petrologic evolution of the Albano multiple maar (Alban Hills, Central Italy)

Eruptive history and petrologic evolution of the Albano multiple maar (Alban Hills, Central Italy)

Geochemical identification criteria for “peperino” stones employed in ancient Roman buildings: A Lapis Gabinus case study

Post-caldera activity in the Alban Hills volcanic district (Italy): 40Ar/39Ar geochronology and insights into magma evolution

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