Bitumen in potsherds from two Apulian Bronze Age settlements, Monopoli and Torre Santa Sabina: Composition and origin

Faraco, Marianna; Pennetta, Antonio; Fico, Daniela; Eramo, Giacomo; Beqiraj, Enkeleida; Muntoni, Italo M.; Benedetto, Giuseppe E. De

doi:10.1016/j.orggeochem.2016.01.004

Cited by 18 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Selenice bitumen has a melting temperature of 105–115 °C [ 43 , 44 ], so it could be heated at about 120–140 °C and used before it cools without any pretreatment. This straightforward use of Selenice bitumen has some supporting evidence: the absence of organic and inorganic additives in all the archaeological bitumen of Albanian origin [ 11 , 34 ], the similar profiles of archaeological and geological bitumen pyrograms ( Figure S2 ), and the presence of methylthiophenes and dimethylthiophenes in the pyrograms of the archaeological samples ( Figure S3 ). These molecules indicate that archaeological bitumen samples, either before or after being applied to pottery, were not heated directly in a fire.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 77%

“…The origin of the samples was assessed on the basis of various biomarker ratios, some of them being C 24 tricyclic terpane/C 23 tricyclic terpane, C 24 tetracyclic terpane/C 23 tricyclic terpane, T s /T m , gammacerane/17α(H),21β(H)-30-norhopane; C 33 isohopanes/regular C 33 hopanes, C 33 30-norhopanes/regular C 33 hopanes and %C 27 steranes/(C 27 + C 28 + C 29 steranes). These results were not unexpected since all the bitumen samples from other archaeological sites along the central and southern Apulian coast, such as Monopoli and Torre Santa Sabina ( Figure S1 ), had the same provenance [ 11 ]. The carbon stable isotope ratios of the asphaltene fraction of the Porto Badisco (PB) [ 34 ] and Roca (RO) [ 35 ] samples are −29.2‰ (±0.1‰) and −29.3‰(±0.1‰), respectively, in the same range as the asphaltenes of the Selenice bitumen (−29.1 ± 0.1‰) [ 34 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…As documented in all previous studies of archaeological bitumen since the pioneering works of Connan [ 3 , 8 , 9 ], molecular tools, especially sterane and terpane distribution patterns, have been used to determine the origin of the bitumen [ 1 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 ]. Bulk stable carbon and deuterium isotope analyses [ 23 , 24 ], and the isotopic ratio of saturated, aromatic and asphaltene fractions [ 2 , 8 , 12 , 16 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 ], have also been used for bitumen provenance.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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New Evidence on the Reliable Use of Stable Isotopes of Bitumen Fractions in Archaeological Research

Pennetta

Benedetto

2023

Molecules

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One of the goals of archaeological studies is to determine how material goods and ideas moved among human populations, and bitumen is a worthy proxy because it has been used since prehistory. As a result, when bitumen is excavated from archaeological sites, determining its provenance is important because it sheds light on the trade and communication of populations at a given time. During the study of archaeological bitumen from coastal sites in central and southern Puglia (Italy), we observed that stable isotope ratios of saturated and aromatic fractions were incompatible with those obtained from asphaltenes, supporting the absorption of a foreign substance. Experiments showed that lipids are absorbed by bitumen and, in the case of oils, are distributed mainly in the saturated and aromatic fractions as their isotopic ratios change. The same experiments showed that the isotopic ratios of the asphaltenes do not change. Lipid absorption on the archaeological bitumen may have occurred before the bitumen was applied to the pottery, during the use of the pottery or while underground, before being excavated. These hypotheses are discussed, and it is concluded that the isotopic ratio of asphaltenes is a reliable proxy for provenance, whereas those of the saturated and aromatic fractions should be considered with caution due to possible lipid absorption. Nevertheless, they provide new information on pottery use that can be used in archaeological chemistry.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 77%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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New Evidence on the Reliable Use of Stable Isotopes of Bitumen Fractions in Archaeological Research

Pennetta

Benedetto

2023

Molecules

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“…Anthropogenic heating to cure or recycle bitumen creates characteristic and identifiable polyaromatic hydrocarbon markers, such as fluoranthene and pyrene (Connan 1999;Schwartz and Ho||ander 2000). The mining, production, transport, and trade of bitumen have been studied extensively through chemical analysis (Brown et al 2014;Connan et al 2020;Faraco et al 2016;Schwartz and Ho||ander 2000;Wendt and Lu 2006).…”

Section: Bitumen/asphaltmentioning

confidence: 99%

Archaeological Adhesives

Langejans¹,

Aleo²,

Fajardo³

et al. 2022

Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Anthropology

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An adhesive is any substance that bonds different materials together. This broad definition includes materials used in everything from hafted stone tools to monumental architecture. In addition, the combination of bonding, plasticity, and insolubility meant that some adhesives were exploited for waterproofing and sealing of materials, as self-adhering inlays and putties, and as paints, varnishes, and inks. Adhesives have a history of at least 200,000 years. Throughout (pre)history and around the world, people used materials, including bitumen/asphalt, carbohydrate polymers such as starches and gums, natural rubbers, mortars, proteins (from casein, soy, blood, and animal connective tissue), insect and plant resins, and tars made from various barks and woods. Adhesives thus are very diverse and have widely varying properties: they can be tacky, pliable, elastic, brittle, water-resistant, fluid, viscous, clear, dark, and much more. They are a plastic avant la lettre. These properties can and were tweaked by mixing ingredients or by further processing. In the study of archaeological adhesives, their characterization is essential and this is best done with chemical and spectroscopic methods. When larger coherent samples as opposed to single finds are analyzed, adhesive studies can provide data on past technologies, socioeconomic organizations, and environments and raw material availability. Through sourcing and mapping of ingredients and adhesive end products, travel and transfer of materials and knowledge can be illuminated. Additionally, experimental reproductions provide data on technological aspects that otherwise are lost in the archaeological record. An archaeology of adhesives can reveal the transport networks, subsistence, mobility strategies, division of labor, and technological know-how that held societies together.

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“…The bitumen of the Muhut amphora was rather rich in hydro carbons (19.6%) and showed a moderate concentration of asphaltenes (46.7%). The bitumen from the Masirah amphora was typical of torpedo jar bitumen and of archaeological bitumen ( [33][34][35][36][37][38][39]). This bitumen exhibited a very low content of hydrocarbons (3.7%) and a predominant concentration of asphaltenes (87.6%).…”

Section: Gross Composition Of Dichloromethane Extractmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geochemical Analysis of Two Samples of Bitumen from Jars Discovered on Muhut and Masirah Islands (Oman)

Connan

Engel

Jackson³

et al. 2021

Separations

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Two samples of bitumen were obtained, one from a torpedo jar (c. 3rd–8th C. AD) from Masirah island and one from a Tunisian jar (c. 18th C. AD) from Muhut island off the central coast of Oman. Steranes and terpanes, as well as isotope data on chromatographic fractions, were used as tools to characterize the bitumen. Comparison of data with those already acquired on bitumen from torpedo jars from Thailand, Iran, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Saudi Arabia, India, and oil seeps from Iran and Iraq allowed us to conclude that the bitumen originated from different areas of southwest Iran. Those of the Muhut jar were likely from Khuzistan, whereas those from Masirah island appear to have been sourced from Kermanshah. These findings are in keeping with other similar geochemical studies undertaken on bitumen lined vessels from across the region (see more below).

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Bitumen in potsherds from two Apulian Bronze Age settlements, Monopoli and Torre Santa Sabina: Composition and origin

Cited by 18 publications

References 23 publications

New Evidence on the Reliable Use of Stable Isotopes of Bitumen Fractions in Archaeological Research

New Evidence on the Reliable Use of Stable Isotopes of Bitumen Fractions in Archaeological Research

Archaeological Adhesives

Geochemical Analysis of Two Samples of Bitumen from Jars Discovered on Muhut and Masirah Islands (Oman)

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