Geochemical fingerprints of volcanic materials: Identification of a pumice trade route from Pompeii to Rome

Petrochemical Identification and Insights on Chronological Employment of the Volcanic Aggregates Used in Ancient Roman Mortars

“…Figure shows an overall plot of the analysed mortar aggregates in the Zr/Y versus Nb/Y and the Th/Ta versus Nb/Zr diagrams, to compare with the compositional fields of the Alban Hills and Monti Sabatini products outcropping around Rome, as well as with those of the Campanian magmatic region (Peccerillo , and references therein), previously computed and presented graphically (Marra et al . , ; Marra and D'Ambrosio ). In interpreting the results, it has to be taken into account that these previous studies have provided evidence of the great stability of the Zr/Nb ratio characterizing each specific volcanic product, with respect to a larger variability of the Y content, determining a series of sub‐rectilinear compositional fields, stretching radially from the origin of the axis towards the outer Zr/Y versus Nb/Y diagram.…”

“…Pumice from this volcanic district has also been identified in the mortars of the Forum of Caesar, and in those of the Basilica Ulpia and the Grande Aula of Trajan's Markets, mixed with other pumice of Campanian origin (Marra et al . ). Based on their Zr/Y versus Nb/Y composition, which is almost identical to that of two pumice samples collected from outcrops in Rome, these mortar pumice samples were also attributed (Marra et al .…”

“…With the aim of identifying the provenance of the volcanic aggregates, we have performed geochemical analyses on 12 samples of mortars and concretes from several Roman monuments (Table ), spanning from the second century bc through to the third century ad , to compare their Zr/Y versus Nb/Y and Th/Ta versus Nb/Zr compositions with those of the volcanic products of central Italy that have been published in the recent literature (Marra et al . , ; Marra and D'Ambrosio ). Moreover, in order to clarify some uncertain attributions, we introduce an alternative classification diagram using TiO 2 abundance instead of Y, since the latter element has revealed a greater mobility with respect to Zr and Nb, in the case of strong alteration affecting the analysed samples, such as that induced by bathing in HCl, which is mandatory in order to separate the volcanic aggregate of the analysed mortar samples from the lime matrix (see the Methods section).…”

The Geochemical Fingerprint of Tufo Lionato Blocks from the Area Sacra di Largo Argentina: Implications for the Chronology of Volcanic Building Stones in Ancient Rome

“…In this work, we adopt a recently developed geochemical identification criterion, based on the ratio of particular trace elements that are less affected by alteration processes (Marra et al . , , ; Marra and D'Ambrosio ; Farr et al . ).…”

Geochemical Methods for Sourcing Lava Paving Stones from the Roman Roads of Central Italy

“…Thus Laurence (), Black et al () and Laurence () all suggest that choices were being made in the selection of lava sources. These observations should be seen within the context of the provenancing of other volcanic materials for construction, notably the work of Lancaster et al (, ) on the use of lightweight materials (e.g., scoria and pumice) in concrete vaults, who suggested that there was a complex supply pattern to Rome that included volcanic deposits associated with Vesuvius (Lancaster et al ; Marra et al ). The aims of this paper are to provide a reliable sourcing method for the lava paving stones (i.e., heavyweight/high‐density building materials) based on geochemical analysis, and to clarify the exploitation, transportation and trade in this natural resource that was widely utilized in both ancient Rome and its environs.…”